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LIVES   OF    ILLUSTRIOUS 

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WILLIAM  EDWARD  WINKS. 


NEW  AND  CHEAPER  EDIT/ON. 


LONDON: 
SAMPSON  LOW,  MARSTON,  AND  COMPANY, 

LIMITED, 

%t.   Dun$tan'«!  I^ousse, 
Fetter  Lane,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 


H 


PREFACE. 


"  Time  out  of  mind  The  Gentle  Craft  has  been  invested 
with  an  air  of  romance.     This  honourable  title,  given 
to  no  other  occupation  but  that  of  shoemakers,  is  an 
indication  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  the   Craft  is 
held.     It  is  by  no  means  an  easy  thing  to  account  for 
a  sentiment  of  this  kind,  or  to  trace  such  a  title  to 
„  its  original  source.      Whether  the  traditionary  stories 
^  which    have     clustered    round     the    lives    of    Saints 
-  Anianus,  Crispin  and  Crispianus,  or  Hugh  and  Wini- 
fred,   gave    rise   to   the   sentiment,  or   the   sentiment 
itself  is  to  be  regarded  as  accounting  for  the   tradi- 
tions, one  cannot  tell.     Probably  there  is  some  truth 
in  both  theories,  for  sentiment  and  tradition  act  and 
react  on  each  other. 

Certain  it  is,  that  among  all  our  craftsmen  none 
<3  appear  to  enjoy  a  popularity  comparable  with  that  of 
^  "  the  old  Cobbler  "  or  "  Shoemaker."  Most  men  have  a 
^  good  word  to  say  for  him,  a  joke  to  crack  about  him, 
,  or  a  story  to  tell  of  his  ability  and  "learning,"  his 
■^      skill  in  argument,  or  his  prominence  and  influence  in 


^ 


oorro-g  O 


iv  PREFACE. 

political  or  religious  affairs.  Both  in  ancient  times 
and  in  modern,  in  the  Old  World  and  in  the  New,  a 
rare  interest  has  been  felt  in  Shoemakers,  as  a  class, 
on  account  of  their  remarkable  intelligence  and  the 
large  number  of  eminent  men  who  have  risen  from 
their  ranks. 

These  facts,  and  especially  the  last — which  has  been 
the  subject  of  frequent  remark — may  be  deemed  suffi- 
cient justification  for  the  existence  of  such  a  work  as 
this. 

Another  reason  might  be  given  for  the  issue  of  such 
a  book  as  this  just  now,  A  change  has  come  over  the 
craft  of  boot  and  shoe  making.  The  use  of  machinery 
has  effected  nothing  short  of  a  revolution  in  the  trade. 
The  old-fashioned  Shoemaker,  with  his  leathern  apron 
and  hands  redolent  of  wax,  has  almost  disappeared 
from  the  workrooms  and  streets  of  such  towns  as 
Northampton  and  Stafford  in  Old  England,  or  Lynn 
in  New  England.  His  place  and  function  are  now, 
for  the  most  part,  occupied  by  the  "cutter"  and 
the  "  clicker,"  the  "  riveter  "  and  the  "  machine-girl." 
The  old  Cobbler,  like  the  ancient  spinster  and  hand- 
loom  weaver,  is  retiring  into  the  shade  of  the  boot 
and  shoe  factory.  Whether  or  no  he  will  disappear 
entirely  may  be  questionable;  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  Cobbler,  sitting  at  his  stall  and  working 
with  awl  and  hammer  and  last,  will  never  again  be  the 
conspicuous  figure  in  social  life  that  he  was  wont  to  be 
in  times  gone  by.  Before  we  bid  him  a  final  farewell, 
and  forget  the  traditions  of  his  humble  yet  honourable 


PREFA  CE.  V 

craft,  it  may  be  of  some  service  to  bring  under  one 
review  the  names  and  histories  of  some  of  the  more 
illustrious  members  of  his  order. 

Long  as  is  the  list  of  these  worthy  "  Sons  of  Crispin," 
it  cannot  be  said  to  be  complete.  Only  a  few  examples 
are  taken  from  Germany,  France,  and  the  United  States, 
'where,  in  all  probability,  as  many  illustrious  Shoemakers 
might  have  been  met  with  as  in  Great  Britain  itself. 
And  even  the  British  muster-roll  is  not  fully  made  up. 
AVith  only  a  few  exceptions,  livinr/  men  are  not  in- 
cluded in  the  list.  Very  gladly  would  the  writer  have 
added  to  these  exceptions  so  remarkable  a  man  as 
Thomas  Edward,  the  shoemaker  of  Banff,  one  of  the 
best  self-taught  naturalists  of  our  time,  and,  for  the 
last  sixteen  years,  an  Associate  of  the  Linntean  Society. 
But  for  the  Life  of  this  eminent  Scotchman  the  reader 
must  be  referred  to  the  interesting  biography  written 
by  his  friend  Dr.  Smiles. 

In  writing  the  longer  sketches,  free  and  ample  use 
has  been  made  of  biographies  already  in  existence. 
But  this  has  not  been  done  without  the  kind  consent 
of  the  owners  of  copyrights.  To  these  the  writer 
tenders  his  grateful  acknowledgments.  To  the  widow 
of  the  Kev.  T.  W.  Blanshard  he  is  indebted  for  per- 
mission to  draw  upon  the  pages  of  her  late  husband's 
valuable  biography  of  "  The  Wesleyan  Demosthenes," 
Samuel  Bradhurn ;  to  Jacob  Halls  Drew,  Esq.,  Bath, 
for  his  courtesy  in  allowing  a  liberal  use  to  be  made 
of  the  facts  given  in  his  biography  of  his  father,  Samuel 
Drew,   "The   Self-Taught   Cornishman;"  and   to   the 


vi  PREFACE. 

venerable  Thomas  Cooper,  as  well  as  to  his  publishers, 
Messrs.  Hodder  &  Stoughton,  for  their  kind  favour  in 
regard  to  the  lengthy  and  detailed  sketch  of  the  author 
of  "The  Purgatory  of  Suicides."  This  sketch,  the 
longest  in  the  book,  is  inserted  by  special  permission 
of  Messrs.  Hodder  &  Stoughton. 

The  minor  sketches  have  been  drawn  from  a  variety 
of  sources.  One  or  two  of  these  require  special  men- 
tion. In  preparing  the  notice  of  John  O'Xeill,  the 
Poet  of  Temperance,  the  writer  has  received  kind  help 
from  Mr.  Bichard  Gooch  of  Brighton,  himself  a  poet  of 
temperance.  Messrs.  J.  &  J.  IT.  Rutherford  of  Kelso 
have  also  been  good  enough  to  place  at  the  writer's 
service — but,  unfortunately,  too  late  to  be  of  much 
use — a  copy  of  their  recently  published  autobio- 
graphy of  John  Younger,  the  Shoemaker  of  St.  Bos- 
wells.  In  the  all-too-brief  section  devoted  to  American 
worthies,  valuable  aid  has  been  given  to  the  author  by 
Henry  Phillips,  Esq.,  jun.,  A.M.,  Ph.D.,  Corresponding 
Member  of  the  Antiquarian  Society  of  Philadelphia, 
U.S.A. 

In  all  probability  the  reader  has  never  been  intro- 
duced to  so  large  a  company  of  illustrious  Sons  of 
Crispin  before.  It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  he  will 
derive  both  pleasure  and  profit  from  their  society. 

WILLIAM  EDWARD  WIKKS. 

Cardiff,  1882. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Preface •  •        •        •        .      iii 

CHAPTER  I. 

Sir  Cloudesley    Shovel  :    The   Cobbler's  Boy    who 

became  an  admiral   . i 

CHAPTER  11. 

James  Lackington  :  Shoemaker  AND  Bookseller         .      15 

CHAPTER  III. 

Samuel  Bradburn  :  The  Shoemaker  who  became  Pre- 
sident of  the  Wesleyan  Conference    ...        47 

CHAPTER  IV. 

William  Gifford  :  From  the  Shoemaker's  Stool  to 

the  Editor's  Chair 77 

CHAPTER  V. 

Robert  Bloomfield  :  The  Shoemaker  who  wrote  "Thb 

Farmer's  Boy  " 99 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Samuel  Drew:  The  Metaphysical  Shoemaker  .        •117 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK  VII. 

HE  Shoemaker  wi 
THE  Bible  into  Bengali  and  Hindostani        .        -145 


PAOE 

William    Caret  :    The  Shoemaker  who  Translated 


CHAPTER  YIII. 
John  Pounds  :  The  Philanthropic  Shoemaker    .        •     i75 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Thomas  Cooper  :   The  Self-educated  Shoemaker  who 

"Reared  his  OWN  Monument" 191 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  Constellation  op  Celebrated  Cobblers     .        .        .    229 

Ancient  Examples. 
The  Cobbler  and  the  Artist  Apelles  ....     235 

Two  Shoemaker  Bishops  :  Annianas,  Bishop  of  Alex- 

ANDRI.4,  AND  Alexander,  Bishop  op  Comana    .        .236 

The  Pious  Cobbler  op  Alexandria        .        .        .        -239 

"Rabbi  Jochanan,   The  Shoemaker"    ....    240 

European  Examples  :  France. 

S.S.  Crispin  and  Crispianus  :  The  Patron  Saints  of 

Shoemakers 245 

"The  Learned  Baudouin" 249 

Henry  Michael  Buch  :  "Good  Henry".        .        .        .    250 

German^/. 

Hans  Sachs  :   "  The    Nightingale  of  the  Reforma- 
tion"   255 


CONTENTS.  ix 

PAGE 

Jacob  Boehmen  :  The  Mystic 258 

Italy. 

Gabriel  CArPELLiNi :  "  il  Caligarino  "       .        .        .  261 

Francesco  Brizzio  :  The  Artist 262 

IIolla7id. 

LuDOLPH  de  Jong  :  The  Portrait-Painter          .        .  264 

Sons  of  Shoemakers 265 

Great  Britain. 

"Ye  Cocke  OF  Westminster" 269 

Timothy  Bennett  :  The  Hero  of  Hampton- Wick  .        .271 

Militanj  and  Naval  Heroes. 

The  Souters  of  Selkirk 274 

Watt  Tinlinn 276 

Colonel  Hewson  ;  The  "  Cerdon  "  of  Hudibras          .  277 

Sir  Christopher  Myngs,  Admiral 281 

Astrologers  and  others. 

Dr.  Partridge 283 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Sibly,  F.R.C.P.  .        .        .               .        .  287 

Manoah  Sibly,  Short-hand  Writer,  Preacher,  &c.      .  289 

Mackey,  "the  Learned  Shoemaker"  of  Norwich,  and 

TWO  other  Learned  Shoemakers      .         .        .        .291 

Anthony  Purver,  Bible  Revisionist      ....  292 

The  Poets  of  the  Cobbler's  Stall. 

James  Woodhouse,  The  Friend  of  Shenstone  .        .  296 

John  Bennet,  Parish  Clerk  and  Poet    ....  297 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Richard  Savage,  The  Friend  of  Pope    ....  299 

Thomas  Olivers,  Hxmn-Writer 300 

Thomas  Holcroft,  Dramatist,  Novelist        .        .        .  304 

Joseph  Blacket,  "The  Son  OF  Sorrow"         .        .        .  308 

David  Service  and  other  Songsters   op  the  Shoe- 
maker's Stall 313 

John  Struthers,  Poet  and  Editor         .        .        .        .314 

John  O'Neill,  the  Poet  OF  Temperance        .        .        .316 

John  Younger,  Ply- Fisher  and  Corn-Law  Rhymer      .    319 

Charles  Crocker,  "  The  Poor  Cobbler  of  Chichester  "    32 1 


Preachers  and  Theologians. 

George  Fox,  Founder  of  the  Society  of  Friends         .    323 

Thomas  Shillitoe,  the  Shoemaker  who  stood  before 

Kings 327 

John  Thorp,  Founder  of  the  Independent  Church  at 

MaSBORO' 333 

William  Huntingdon,  S.S 335 

Robert  Morrison,  D.D.,  Chinese  Scholar  and  Mission- 
ary        337 

Rev.  John  Burnet,  Preacher  and  Philanthropist       .  339 

John  Kitto,  D.D.,  Biblical  Scholar       ....  342 

Science. 
William  Sturgeon,  the  Electrician     ....     346 

Politicians. 
Thomas  Hardy,  OF  "The  State  Trials"        .        .        .    348 
George  Odger,  Political  Orator 350 


CONTENTS. 


PAf!E 

355 


American  Examples. 
Noah  Worcester,  D.D.,  "The  Apostle  of  Peace'' 

KoGER  Sherman,  the  Patriot 359 

Henry  Wilson,  the  Natick  Cobblkr       ....    362 
William  Greenleaf  Whittier,  "  The  Quaker  Poet"   .     364 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Sir  Cloudsley  Shovel 
James  Lackington 
Rev.  S.  Bradburn 
Robert  Bloomfield 
Samuel  Drew,  M.A. 
William  Carey  . 
Thomas  Cooper  . 
Joseph  Blacket 
W.  G.  Whittier  . 


I 

15 

47 

99 

117 

145 
191 
308 
364 


SIR     C  L  O  U  D  E  S  L  E  Y     S  H  O  V  1.  L 


Sir  Cloubcslc^  Sbovcl, 

THE    cobbler's    BOY   WHO    BECAME    AX   ADMIRAL. 


"  Honour  and  shame  from  no  condition  rise  ; 
Act  well  3'our  part,  there  all  the  honour  lies. 
Fortune  in  men  has  some  small  difference  made, 
One  flaunts  in  rags,  one  flutters  in  brocade  ; 
The  cobbler  aproned  and  the  parson  gowned, 
The  friar  hooded,  and  the  monarch  crowned. 
'  What  differ  more  '  (you  cry)  •  than  crown  and  cowl  ?  ' 
I'll  tell  you,  friend, — a  wise  man  and  a  fool. 
You'll  find,  if  once  the  monarch  acts  the  monk, 
Or,  cobbler-like,  the  parson  will  be  drunk  ; 
Worth  makes  the  man,  and  want  of  it  the  fellow  : 
The  rest  is  all  but  leather  or  prunella." 

— Pope,  Essay  on  Man. 


(    3    ) 


f^ 


SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL. 

N  the  south  side  of  the  choir  of  Westminster 
Abbey  may  be  seen  a  very  handsome  and 
costly  monument,  on  which  reclines  a  life- 
sized  figure  in  marble,  representing  a  naval  commander. 
The  grotesque  uniform  and  elaborate  wig  are  of  the 
style  of  Queen  Anne's  time.  The  commander  himself 
has  all  the  look  of  a  well-bred  gentleman  and  a  brave 
officer.  He  is  a  capital  type  of  the  old  school  of  naval 
heroes,  stout  in  person,  jolly  in  temper,  but  terrible  in 
action,  by  whom  our  shores  were  defended,  our  colo- 
nies secured  to  us,  and  the  power  and  stability  of  the 
British  Empire  were  established  for  centuries  to  come. 
These  men  had,  in  many  instances,  risen  from  the 
lowest  social  status,  and  had  been  compelled  to  begin 
their  nautical  career  in  the  humblest  fashion,  accepting 
the  most  menial  position  the  naval  service  could  offer 
them.  When  they  came  to  hold  positions  of  command, 
they  had,  perhaps,  no  culture  nor  general  education ; 
the  little  knowledge  they  possessed  was  confined  to  the 
arts  of  navigation  and  warfare,  and  this  they  had  picked 
up  in  actual  service.  Such  knowledge  served  them 
well,  and  made  them  equal  to  any  emergency.  It 
made  them  capable  of  deeds  of  valour  and  enterprise, 
that  brouoht  renown  to  their  own  name  and  honour  to 


4  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

their  country.  They  could  sail  round  the  world  ;  they 
could,  by  their  discoveries,  add  new  territories  to  the 
British  crown,  and  open  up  splendid  fields  for  com- 
mercial enterprise  ;  they  could  keep  their  vessel  afloat 
in  a  gale  of  wind,  get  to  windward  of  the  enemy  if  they 
wanted,  pour  a  broadside  into  him,  board  and  capture 
his  vessels  or  blow  up  his  forts ;  and,  very  often  fight- 
ing against  fearful  odds,  beat  him  by  dint  of  superior 
skill  in  seamanship  and  greater  courage  in  action. 
Such  a  commander  was  "  old  Benbow,"  whose  name 
appears  so  often  in  the  nautical  songs  of  the  last  cen- 
tury ;  and  such  a  commander  was  his  contemporary. 
Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  to  whose  memory  the  handsome 
monument  just  referred  to  is  erected.  Let  us  pause 
for  a  moment  to  read  the  inscription.     It  runs  thus  : 

"Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  Knt,  Rear- Admiral  of  Great  Britain, 
Admiral  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Fleet :  The  just  reward 
of  long  and  faithful  services.  He  was  deservedly  beloved  of  his 
country,  and  esteemed  though  dreaded  by  the  enemy,  who  had 
often  experienced  his  conduct  and  courage.  Being  shipwrecked 
on  the  rocks  of  Scilly,  in  his  voyage  from  Toulon,  the  22d  of 
October  1707,  at  night,  in  the  fifiy-seventh  year  of  his  age,  his 
fate  was  lamented  by  all,  but  especially  by  the  seafaring  part  of 
the  nation,  to  whom  he  was  a  worthy  example.  His  body  was 
flung  on  the  shore,  and  buried  with  others  in  the  sands ;  but 
being  soon  after  taken  up,  was  placed  under  this  monument, 
which  his  royal  mistress  has  caused  to  be  erected  to  commemorate 
his  steady  loyalty  and  extraordinary  virtues." 

If  a  stranger  to  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel's  history  were 
to  stand  looking  at  this  fine  monument,  admiring  the 
fine  figure  which  adorns  it  and  reading  the  glowing 
epitaph,  he  would  no  doubt  be  greatly  amazed  if  the 
intelligent  verger  by  his  side  were  to  whisper  in  his 
ear,  "  That  man  was  once  a  cobbler's  boy ;  the  first 


SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL.  5 

weapons  he  ever  used  in  fighting  the  battle  of  life  were 
the  awl  and  hammer  and  last." 

Yet  such  was  really  the  case.  It  is  true  he  did  not 
remain  long  at  his  humble  craft.  He  left  it,  indeed, 
sooner  than  any  of  the  notable  men  whose  life- story  we 
have  to  tell  in  this  book  ;  yet  he  wore  the  leathern 
apron  long  enough  to  entitle  him  to  a  place  in  the 
category  of  Illustrious  ShoemaJccrs. 

Cloudesley  Shovel  was  born  in  the  county  of  Nor- 
folk in  the  year  1650,  at  a  village  called  Clay,  lying 
on  the  coast  between  Wells  and  Cromer.  His  parents 
are  said  to  have  been  in  but  "  middling  circumstances ; " 
but  it  is  to  be  feared  that  even  this  modest  term  de- 
scribes a  better  position  than  they  actually  lield.  They 
were  evidently  of  the  humblest  class,  and  had  no 
means  of  giving  their  boy  either  a  good  education  or  a 
good  start  in  the  way  of  business.  Cloudesley  came 
by  his  rather  singular  name  as  no  doubt  thousands 
had  done  before  his  time,  and  have  done  since.  It  was 
given  him  in  honour  of  a  relative  who  was  in  good 
circumstances,  and  in  the  hope  that  it  might  probably 
be  a  "  means  of  recommending  him  to  this  relative's 
notice."  But  fortunately,  as  it  proved  for  him,  and 
proves  also  for  many  others,  no  fortune  was  left  him. 
His  parents  were  glad  to  send  him  to  the  village  shoe- 
maker to  learn  the  art  and  mystery  of  making  and 
mending  boots  and  shoes. 

Finding  the  drudgery  of  a  sedentary  occupation  and 
the  flatness  and  quietude  of  village  life  irksome  to  his 
active  temperament  and  aspiring  spirit,  after  a  few 
years'  work  at  shoemaking,  he  made  off  to  sea.  His 
taste  lying  in  the  direction  of  the  royal  naval  service, 
he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  man-of-war.      Here 


6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

he  had  the  good  fortune  to  come  under  the  care  and 
command  of  Sir  John  Xarborous^h.  This  distinguished 
officer  had  once  been  in  Cloudesley's  position  as  a  man- 
of-war's  cabin-boy,  and  having  shown  himself  a  smart 
sailor  and  an  industrious  student  of  navigation,  had 
been  rapidly  promoted  by  his  generous  captain,  Sir 
Christopher  Myngs.  Sir  John  Narborough  was  there- 
fore well  disposed,  by  his  kindly  disposition  and  his 
own  early  experience,  to  favour  any  youth  of  promise 
placed  in  similar  circumstances  to  those  through  which 
he  himself  had  passed.  In  young  Cloudesley  the  gallant 
captain  seems  to  have  seen  his  own  character  portrayed 
and  his  own  career  enacted  over  again.  The  lad  was 
smart  at  seamanship,  and  uncommonly  diligent  when 
off  watch  in  the  study  of  any  nautical  books  he  could 
lay  hands  on.  He  seems  to  have  found  out  very  early 
in  his  course  that  the  secret  of  success  in  life  lies  in 
being  ready,  when  the  time  comes,  to  seize  and  use  the 
great  opportunities  of  fortune  which  sooner  or  later 
come  in  every  one's  way ;  that  fortune  waits  on  dili- 
gence and  courage  ;  and  that  the  future  is  pretty  secure 
to  the  man  who,  whatever  be  his  position,  works  hard 
and  does  his  plain  duty  every  day. 

The  first  incident  in  his  naval  career  is  an  illustra- 
tion of  this.  He  was  on  board  the  flag-ship  commanded 
by  Admiral  Sir  John  Narborough  in  one  of  the  most 
hotly  contested  battles  fought  between  the  English  and 
the  Dutch.  The  masts  of  the  flag-ship  were  shot  away 
early  in  the  engagement.  The  admiral  saw  that  his 
case  was  hopeless,  however  bravely  his  men  might 
fight,  unless  the  English  reserve,  which  lay  some  dis- 
tance off  to  the  right,  could  be  brought  round  to  his 
aid.     The  thing  wanted  was  to  get  a  message  conveyed 


SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL.  j 

to  the  captain  of  the  reserve.  Signalling  was  out  of 
the  question,  of  course;  the  message  must  be  carried 
to  the  ships  somehow.  Yet  he  saw  plainly  that  in 
such  a  hurricane  of  shot  and  shell,  and  with  so  many 
of  the  enemy's  vessels  close  at  hand,  no  boat  could 
hope  to  reach  the  English  ships.  But  a  man  might 
swim  to  them !  Acting  on  this  thought.  Sir  John 
wrote  an  order  and  called  aloud  for  volunteers  to 
swim  with  it,  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  to  the 
neighbouring  ships.  Amongst  the  able-bodied  sailors 
who  presented  themselves  for  the  terrible  duty  young 
Cloudesley  stood  forth.  Looking  at  him  with  admira- 
tion mingled  with  something  like  pity,  the  admiral 
exclaimed,  "  Why,  what  can  you  do,  my  fearless  lad  ?  " 
"  I  can  swim,  sir,"  said  young  Cloudesley,  and  added 
in  the  spirit  of  a  patriot  and  a  hero,  "  If  I  be  shot, 
I  can  be  easier  spared  than  any  one  else."  After  a 
moment's  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  tender-hearted 
admiral,  the  paper  was  handed  to  the  boy,  who  placed 
it  between  his  teeth  and  plunged  into  the  water. 
Cheered  by  his  comrades,  he  swam  on  through  a  per- 
fect hail  of  shot,  bearing,  as  it  seemed,  a  charmed  life, 
until  at  length  the  smoke  of  battle  concealed  him  from 
their  view.  The  gallant  Sir  John  and  his  brave  crew 
held  on  in  the  most  determined  manner  until  it  seemed 
that  no  hope  was  left  that  the  brave  lad  had  reached 
the  friendly  vessels  in  safety  and  delivered  the  message. 
They  were  beginning  to  think  of  him  and  of  themselves 
as  lost,  when  a  sudden  and  terrific  roar  of  cannon  on 
their  right  announced  that  the  English  vessels  were 
bearing  down  on  the  Dutch.  In  a  few  hours  the  enemy 
was  flying  in  all  directions.  The  cabin-boy  was  not 
forgotten  when  the  honours   and  rewards  of  victory 


8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

came  to  crown  the  events  of  that  terrible  day,  for  all 
agreed  that  he  had  done  a  deed  that  deserved  well  of 
his  country.  When  the  sun  was  setting  on  the  sad 
scene  of  wreck  and  ruin,  the  courageous  yet  modest 
youth  came  and  stood  once  more  on  the  deck  of  the 
flag-ship.  As  soon  as  the  old  admiral  saw  him  he 
spoke  to  him  a  few  words  of  generous  appreciation 
and  sincere  thanks,  finishing  with  the  significant  re- 
mark, "  I  shall  live  to  see  you  have  a  flag-ship  of  your 
own."  The  prediction  came  true,  as  we  shall  presently 
see. 

Not  very  long  afterwards  Cloudesley  Shovel  was 
made  lieutenant  of  His  Majesty's  navy.  The  first 
opportunity  he  had  of  distinguishing  himself  in  this 
capacity  was  on  an  expedition  sent  out  by  the  British 
to  punish  the  corsairs  of  Tripoli.  These  lawless  and 
daring  rogues  had  long  infested  the  Mediterranean, 
doing  immense  mischief  to  commerce  and  committing 
sad  depredations  all  along  the  coast,  wherever  they 
found  it  possible  to  land  with  safety.  No  vessel  or 
port,  from  the  Levant  to  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  was 
safe  from  their  attack.  Sir  John  Narborough  was 
therefore  commissioned  to  bring  them  to  terms  or 
effectually  punish  them.  Arriving  before  Tripoli,  their 
headquarters,  in  the  spring  of  1 674,  he  found  the  enemy 
in  great  strength  under  the  shelter  of  their  formidable 
forts,  and  decided,  first  of  all,  according  to  his  instruc- 
tions, to  try  the  effect  of  negotiations.  Lieutenant 
Shovel,  then  only  twenty-four  years  of  age,  a  tall  thin 
young  man,  with  little  on  his  face  to  indicate  that  he 
had  come  to  manhood,  was  sent  with  a  message  for 
the  Dey  of  Tripoli,  asking  for  satisfaction  for  the  past 
and  security  for  the  future.      This  message  was  deli- 


SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL.  g 

vered  in  a  spirit  becoming  a  British  sailor  acting  on 
behalf  of  the  interests  of  his  country ;  but  the  Dey,  a 
haughty  and  imperious  man,  refused  to  treat  with  such 
a  youth,  and  one,  too,  who  held  so  subordinate  a  posi- 
tion, and  after  treating  him  with  insolence,  sent  him 
back  to  his  admiral  with  an  indefinite  answer.      The 
wily  ex-cobbler,  however,  had  kept  his  eyes  open  while 
on  land,  and  on  returning  to  Sir  John,  gave  him  so 
ffood  an  account  of  the  character  of  the  fortifications 
and  the  disposition  of  the  pirate  fleet,  that  he  was 
sent  back  to  the  Dey  with  a  second  message,  and  in- 
structed to  make  further  observations.     He  was  treated 
on  his  second  visit  with  even  greater  insolence,  but 
took  all  quietly,  not  caring  how  much  he  was  detained 
by  the  Dey's  abuse,  so  long  as  he  could  look  round 
him  and  obtain  a  good  view  of  the   enemy's  strength 
and  position.      Coming  back  once  more  to  his  vessel, 
he  explained  the  whole  situation,  and  described  a  plan 
of  attack  which  he  felt  confident  would  be  successful 
in  destroying  the  vessels  lying  at  anchor  in  the  bay. 
The  admiral  was  so  much  pleased  with  his  lieutenant's 
smartness,  and  so  satisfied  that  his  plan  was  practicable 
if  conducted  with  skill  and  courage,  that  he  decided 
to  entrust  the  execution  of  it  to  "  his  boy  Shovel."    On 
the  night  of  the  4th  of  March  the  young  lieutenant 
took  command  of  all  the  boats  of  the  fleet,  which  had 
been  filled  with  combustible  material,  rowed  quietly 
into  the  harbour  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  made 
straight  for  the  guard-ship,  which  he  set  on  fire  and 
thoroughly  disabled,  thus   preventing  it  from  giving 
orders  to  the  other  ships,  and,  before  the  enemy  could 
prepare  for  action,  fired  and  blew  up  his  vessels  one 
after  another,  and  then  leaving  them  in  a  state  of  the 


lo  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

utmost  confusion  and  distress,  brought  all  his  boats 
back  to  the  British  fleet  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
man.  It  was  a  brave  exploit,  cleverly  conceived  and 
brilliantly  executed.  As  a  wholesome  castigation  of 
these  impudent  pirates  it  was  of  the  utmost  value  ; 
and  more  than  this,  it  crippled  their  power  for  mischief 
for  a  long  time  to  come. 

The  generous  Sir  John  ISTarborough  fully  appre- 
ciated the  courage  and  skill  of  his  youthful  subordinate, 
and  gave  him  the  most  honourable  mention  in  the 
ofhcial  letters  sent  to  the  authorities  at  home.  He 
was  at  once  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain.  This 
office  he  held  for  eleven  years,  until  the  death  of 
Charles  II.  in  1685.  During  the  three  years  of 
James  II.'s  reign,  Captain  Shovel  is  said  to  have  been 
in  every  naval  engagement  that  occurred.  He  had 
therefore  ample  opportunity  of  distinguishing  himself 
and  obtaining  still  further  promotion.  Soon  after  the 
accession  of  William  III.,  Captain  Shovel  was  con- 
spicuous by  his  daring  and  clever  manoeuvring  at  the 
battle  of  Bantry  Bay.  He  was  then  in  command  of 
the  ship  "  Edgar,"  and  the  favourable  notices  he  had 
received  from  Admiral  Hobart  brought  his  gallantry 
before  the  attention  of  his  monarch,  who  conferred 
upon  the  brave  captain  the  honour  of  knighthood. 
Captain,  now  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  was  held  in  high 
esteem  by  King  William  III.,  who  intrusted  him  with 
the  difficult  and  responsible  duty  of  conveying  the 
troops  to  Ireland  in  1690,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Irish  rebellion  which  terminated  in  the  bloody  battle 
of  the  Boyne.  This  duty  was  discharged  with  so  much 
ability  that  the  King  decided  to  promote  Sir  Cloudesley 
to  the  rank  of    "rear-admiral  of  the  blue."     In  con- 


SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL.  ii 

ferriug  this  reward  upon  the  gallant  commander,  the 
srateful  monarch  marked  his  sense  of  the  value  of  the 
service  rendered  by  delivering  the  commission  with 
his  own  hands.  Before  the  year  came  to  a  close  Sir 
Cloudesley  added  one  more  item  to  the  long  list  of  his 
services  by  giving  timely  assistance  to  General  Kirke 
at  the  siege  of  Waterford.  This  town  was  held  by 
the  adherents  of  James  II.,  and  had  long  defied  all 
attempts  of  General  Kirke  to  take  it.  The  chief 
strength  of  the  town  lay  in  Duncannon  Castle,  on 
which  an  attack  was  made  by  Sir  Cloudesley's  ships 
and  men.  A  surrender  was  speedily  negotiated,  and 
the  influential  town  of  Waterford  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  English.  Two  years  after  this  the  King  declared 
him  "  rear-admiral  of  the  red,"  giving  him  at  the  same 
time  the  command  of  the  squadron  which  was  to  con- 
vey the  King  to  Holland. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  Holland  he  was  ordered 
to  join  the  fleet  then  under  the  command  of  Admiral 
Russell,  and  bore  a  very  important  part  in  the  brilliant 
naval  victory  known  as  the  battle  of  La  Hogue.  His 
last  services  during  the  reign  of  William  III.  were 
rendered  in  connection  with  the  bombardment  of 
Dunkirk,  which  he  undertook  at  the  King's  express 
command.  The  author  of  the  "  Lives  of  British 
Admirals,"  ^  referring  to  the  esteem  in  which  Sir 
Cloudesley  Shovel  was  held  by  his  king  and  country 
at  the  close  of  this  reign,  says,  "  he  was  always  con- 
sulted by  His  Majesty  whenever  maritime  atfairs  were 
under  consideration." 

His  first  service  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  was 
performed  as    "  admiral  of  tlie  white."     Tlie  town  of 

1  See  Campbell's  "  Lives,"  &c.,  vol.  iv.  p.  247. 


12  ILLJJSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Vigo  in  Spain  had  been  captured  by  Sir  George  Eooke, 
and  Sir  Cloudesley  was  ordered  to  go  out  and  bring 
home  the  spoils  of  the  united  Spanish  and  French 
fleets,  which  lay  disabled  in  the  harbour.  This  diffi- 
cult task  was  accomplished  with  a  rapidity  and  dash 
which  made  so  favourable  an  impression  on  the  court, 
that  on  his  return  "  it  was  immediately  resolved  to 
employ  him  in  affairs  of  the  greatest  consequence  for 
the  future."  In  1703  he  was  put  in  command  of  the 
grand  fleet,  and  protected  the  interests  of  England 
from  the  hostile  attempts  of  the  French  and  allied 
powers  in  the  Mediterranean.  At  the  battle  of  Malaga 
in  1704,  Sir  Cloudesley's  division  of  nine  ships  led 
the  van,  and  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  enemy's 
attack  to  such  an  extent,  that  at  the  beginning  of  the 
engagement  he  was  almost  entirely  surrounded  by  the 
French,  and  more  than  400  of  his  men  were  either 
killed  or  wounded.  On  his  return  home  he  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Queen  by  Prince  George,  and  shortly 
afterwards  received  the  appointment  of  commander-in- 
chief  and  rear-admiral  of  the  English  fleet.  As  Ad- 
miral Shovel  he  won  great  credit  for  the  part  he  took 
in  the  capture  of  the  important  city  of  Barcelona  in 

1705. 

In  the  month  of  October  1707,  after  bearing  an 
honourable  part  in  the  expedition  under  Prince  Eugene 
against  Toulon,  he  set  sail  with  ten  ships  of  the 
line,  five  frigates,  and  other  war  vessels  for  the  shores 
of  England.  But  he  was  destined  never  to  see  again 
the  country  he  had  served  so  nobly  and  loved  so  well. 
By  some  strange  mischance,  which  has  never  been 
fully  accounted  for,  his  own  vessel  and  several  others, 
on  the  night  of  the   2  2d  of  October,  struck  on  the 


SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL.  13 

rocks  of  the  Scilly  islands  and  perished.  The  brave 
admiral  and  his  three  sons-in-law,  who  were  on  board 
his  vessel,  besides  a  large  number  of  officers  and  sea- 
men, were  drowned.  The  body  of  Sir  Cloudesley 
Shovel  was  washed  on  shore,  and  having  been  found 
by  a  number  of  smugglers,  was  stripped  of  an  emerald 
ring  and  other  valuables,  and  buried  in  the  sand.  On 
attempting  to  sell  their  booty,  the  miscreants  found 
that  the  ring  they  prized  so  much  betrayed  their 
guilty  secret.  They  were  compelled  to  point  out  the 
spot  where  the  body  had  been  concealed.  England, 
of  course,  could  not  allow  one  of  her  noblest  sons  to 
lie  in  so  ignominious  a  grave.  The  body  was  at  once 
removed  to  London  by  express  order  of  Her  Majesty 
Queen  Anne,  and  laid  in  the  most  honourable  grave 
the  nation  had  to  give, — 

"  In  the  great  minster  transept, 
Where  the  lights  like  glories  fall, 
And  the  organ  rings  and  the  sweet  choir  sings 
Along  the  emblazoned  wall."  ^ 

^  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel  sat  for  several  years  as  member  of  Parlia- 
ment for  the  city  of  Rochester.  In  the  Guildhall  of  that  city  there 
is  an  interesting  portrait,  representing  the  gallant  sailor  as  Rear- 
Admiral.  A  tablet  states  that  the  hall  was  painted  and  decorated 
by  his  desire  and  at  his  expense,  1 695-6.  The  portrait  from  which  our 
engraving  is  taken  is  by  Michael  Dahl,  and  was  originally  at  Hampton 
Court.  It  was  presented  by  George  IV.  in  1S24  to  Greenwich  Hospital. 
Sir  C.  Shovel  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  one  of  the  governors  of 
Greenwich  Hospital. 


3ame6  Xackinoton, 

SHOEMAKER   AND    BOOKSELLER. 


Sutor  Ultra  Crepidam  Feliciter  Ausus. 

— Latin  Motto,  Quoted  on  Frontispiece  to 
^^  Lackington's  Memoirs." 


I.  LACKINGTON, 

Who  a  few  years  since  began  Business  with  five  Pounds, 
Now  sells  one  Hundred  Thousand  Volumes  Annually. 

— From  Frontispiece  to  First  Edition  of  "Memoirs 
and  Confessio7is,"  1791-92. 


"  I  will  therefore  conclude  with  a  wisli,  that  my  readers  may  enjoy 
the  feast  with  the  same  good  humour  with  which  I  have  prepared  it.  .  .  . 
Those  with  keen  appetites  will  partake  of  each  dish,  while  others,  more 
delicate,  may  select  such  dishes  as  are  more  light  and  are  better  adapted 
to  their  palates  ;  they  are  all  genuine  British  fare  ;  but  lest  they  should 
be  at  a  loss  to  know  what  the  entertainment  consists  of,  I  beg  leave 
to  inform  them  that  it  contains  forty-seven  dishes  of  various  sizes, 
which  (if  they  calculate  the  expense  of  their  admission  tickets)  they  will 
find  does  not  amount  to  twopence  per  dish  ;  and  what  I  hope  they 
will  consider  as  immensely  valuable  (in  compliance  with  the  precedent 
set  by  Mr.  Farley,  a  gentleman  eminent  in  the  culinary  science),  a 
striking  likeness  of  their  Cook  into  the  Bargain. 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  pray  be  seated  ;  you  are  heartily  welcome, 
and  much  good  may  it  do  you." — From  Preface  to  Lackinrjtons  "  Memoirs 
and  Confessions,"  published  1S26. 


V 


(     17     ) 


JAMES   LACKINGTON. 

NE  of  the  most  successful  booksellers  of  the 
last  century  was  James  Lackington,  whose 
enormous  place  of  business  at  the  corner  of 
Finsbury  Square,  London,  was  styled  somewhat  gran- 
diloquently "The  Temple  of  the  Muses."  A  flag 
floated  proudly  over  the  top  of  the  building,  and  above 
the  principal  doorway  stood  the  announcement,  no 
less  true  than  sensational,  "  The  Cheapest  Bookshop 
in  the  World."  Lackington  was  an  innovator  in  the 
trade,  and  had  introduced  methods  and  principles  of 
doing  business  which  at  first  awaked  the  ire  of  the 
bookselling  fraternity,  but  were  at  length  generally 
adopted,  thus  inaugurating  a  new  era  in  the  history 
of  this  important  business.  His  name  cannot  be 
omitted  from  any  complete  history  of  booksellers, 
and  it  is  none  the  less  deserving  of  a  place  in  the 
category  of  illustrious  shoemakers ;  for  Lackington 
commenced  life  as  a  shoemaker,  and  for  some  time 
after  he  had  entered  on  bookselling  speculations  con- 
tinued to  work  at  the  humble  trade  to  which  he  had 
served  an  apprenticeship. 

When  Lackington  was  about  forty-five  years  of  age, 
and  had  made  a  considerable  fortune  in  the  book- 
selling trade,  he  wrote  and  published  a  singular  book, 

B 


1 8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

in  whicli  he  narrated  the  principal  events  in  his  life, 
under  the  form  of  "  Letters  to  a  Friend."     This  book 
bears   the   title   "Memoirs   and    Confessions,"   and  is 
certainly  one  of  the  most  remarkable  autobiographies 
ever  presented  to   the  world.      What  portion   of   its 
contents  may  be  referred  to  by  the  term  "  memoirs  " 
as  distinguished  from  "  confessions  "  it  is  impossible  to 
say,  but  certain  it  is  tliat  there  are  many  things  in 
the  book  which  its  author  would  have  done  well  to 
blot  as  soon  as  they  were  written,  and  of  which  he 
was  no  doubt  heartily  sorry  and  ashamed  in  after-life. 
Among  the  worst  of   these  were   his   strictures   and 
reflections  on  the  Wesleyan  Methodists,  to  whom  he 
had  belonged  in  early  life,  and  from  whom  he  had 
received  no  small  benefit,  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual. 
When   the   second    edition   of  his  memoirs   came   to 
be  printed  in    1803,  his  character  had  undergone  a 
happy   change.     He  then  saw   things   in    a   different 
light,  and  made  full  and  complete  acknowledgment  of 
the  faults  which  marked  the  first  edition  ;  expressed 
in   very    decided,  albeit  very  conventional  terms  his 
faith  in  Christian  truth,  and  his  debt  of  obligation  to 
the  religious  people  whom  he  had  so  sadly  maligned. 
But    words   were   not   enough   to   satisfy  his   ardent, 
thorough-going  nature.     His  benefactions  to  the  Wes- 
leyan Society  were  very  considerable,  and  he  seemed 
toward   the   close   of   his    life    to    have    found    great 
satisfaction    in   making   the   best  use   of    the    ample 
means  at  his  disposal.     With  all  his  faults  he  was  an 
estimable   man,  honest,   truthful,  and   generous.     He 
was   never  ashamed   of  his  lowly  birth  and  humble 
apprenticeship,  nor  turned  his  back  on  his  poor  rela- 
tions,  but   ever   sought   them  out   and   helped  them 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  19 

when  he  had  the  power  to  do  so.  His  success  iu 
business  was  owing  to  his  shrewd  common  sense, 
his  rare  insight  into  character,  his  good  judgment  as 
to  the  public  taste  and  requirements,  his  capital 
method  of  assorting  and  classifying  his  stock  and 
strict  keeping  of  accounts,  his  courageous  yet  prudent 
purchases,  and  his  strict  adherence  to  a  few  sound 
maxims  of  economy  and  thrift.  None  but  a  man  of 
original  and  uncommon  powers  of  mind  could  have 
launched  out  on  new  speculations  and  adventures  as 
Lackington  did  with  the  same  uniform  and  certain 
success,  and  none  but  a  man  of  good  sense  and  loity 
feeling  would  have  been  proof  against  the  ill  effects 
which  so  often  attend  on  success.  There  is  a  touch  of 
vanity  in  his  memoirs,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  not  tlie 
vanity  of  a  man  who  is  vain  and  does  not  know  it ; 
he  is  quite  conscious  of  his  egotism,  and  indulges  in 
it  with  thorough  good-humour  as  a  hearty  joke.  He 
was  rather  fond  of  display,  kept  a  town-house  and 
a  country-house  when  he  could  afford  it,  and  set  up  a 
"  chariot,"  as  the  phrase  went  in  those  days,  and 
liveried  servants.  Yet  it  was  not  many  men  in 
his  position  who  would  have  taken  for  a  motto  to  be 
painted  on  the  doors  of  his  carriage  the  plain  English 
words  which  express  the  principle  on  which  his  busi- 
ness had  been  made  to  bear  such  wonderful  results. 
"  But,"  he  remarks,  "  as  the  first  king  of  Bohemia  kept 
his  country  shoes  by  him  to  remind  him  from  whence 
he  was  taken,  I  have  put  a  motto  on  the  doors  of  my 
carriage  constantly  to  remind  me  to  what  I  am 
indebted  for  my  prosperity,  viz. — 

"  SMALL    PROFITS    DO    GREAT    THINGS." 


20  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

The  Lackington  family  had  been  farmers  in  the 
parish  of  Langford,  near  Wellington,  in  Somersetshire. 
They  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
held  a  respectable  position  in  the  locality.  For  some 
cause,  not  fully  explained  in  the  memoirs,  James 
Lackington's  father  was  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker 
at  Wellington.  He  made  an  imprudent  marriage,  and 
for  a  time  forfeited  his  father's  approval  and  favour ; 
but  when  the  goodwife  proved  herself  to  be  a  very 
worthy  and  industrious  woman,  the  old  man  relented 
and  set  his  son  up  in  business.  This,  however,  was 
of  no  advantage  to  him  ;  in  fact,  it  proved  his  rain. 
He  might  have  remained  a  steady  and  hard-working 
man,  bringing  up  his  children  honourably,  if  he  had 
remained  a  journeyman.  The  position  of  a  master 
presented  temptations  that  were  too  much  for  his 
weak  disj)osition.  Lackington's  own  words  will  best 
describe  his  unhappy  circumstances  in  youth  and  the 
character  of  his  father.  "  I  was  born  at  Wellington, 
in  Somersetshire,  on  the  3  i  st  of  August  (old  style) 
1746.  My  father,  George  Lackington,  was  a  journey- 
man shoemaker,  who  had  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
my  grandl'ather  for  marrying  my  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Joan  Trott.  .  .  .  About  the  year 
1750,  my  father  having  several  children,  and  my 
mother  proving  an  excellent  wife,  my  grandfather's 
resentment  had  nearly  subsided,  so  that  he  supplied 
him  with  money  to  open  shop  for  himself.  But  that 
which  was  intended  to  be  of  very  great  service  to  him 
and  his  family  eventually  proved  extremely  unfortu- 
nate to  himself  and  them ;  for  as  soon  as  he  found 
he  was  more  at  ease  in  his  circumstances  he  contracted 
a  fatal  habit  of  drinking,  and  of  course  his  business 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  21 

\7as  neglected  ;  that  after  several  fruitless  attempts  of 
my  grandfather  to  keep  him  in  trade,  he  was,  partly 
by  a  very  large  family,  but  more  by  his  habitual 
drunkenness,  reduced  to  his  old  state  of  a  journeyman 
shoemaker.  Yet  so  infatuated  was  he  with  the  love 
of  liquor,  that  the  endearing  ties  of  husband  and 
father  could  not  restrain  him:  by  which  baneful 
habit  himself  and  family  were  involved  in  the  ex- 
tremest  poverty ;  so  that  neither  myself,  my  brothers, 
nor  sisters,  are  indebted  to  a  father  scarcely  for  any- 
thing that  can  endear  his  memory,  or  cause  iis  to 
reflect  on  him  with  pleasure." 

James,  as  the  oldest  child  in  the  family,  fared  for  a 
time  rather  better  than  the  rest.  He  was  sent  to  a 
dame-school  and  began  to  learn  to  read  ;  but  before  he 
could  learn  anything  worth  knowing,  liis  mother,  who 
was  obliged  to  maintain  her  children  as  best  she  could, 
found  it  impossible  to  pay  the  twopence  per  week  for 
his  schooling.  For  several  years  his  time  was  divided 
between  nursing  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters  and 
running  about  the  streets  and  getting  into  mischief. 
At  the  age  of  ten  he  began  to  feel  a  desire  to  do  some- 
thing to  earn  a  living.  His  first  venture  in  this  way 
showed  his  ability  and  gave  some  promise  of  his  success 
as  a  man  of  business.  Having  noticed  an  old  pieman 
in  the  streets  whose  method  of  selling  pies  struck  the 
boy  as  very  defective,  the  boy  was  convinced  that 
he  could  do  the  work  much  better.  He  made  known 
his  thoughts  to  a  baker  in  the  town,  who  was  so  pleased 
with  the  lad's  spirit  that  he  at  once  agreed  to  take  the 
little  fellow  into  the  house  and  employ  him  in  vending 
pies  in  the  streets,  if  his  father  would  grant  permission. 
This  was  soon  obtained.    In  this  queer  enterprise  young 


22  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Lackington  met  with  remarkable  success.  He  says: 
"  My  manner  of  crying  pies,  and  my  activity  in  selling 
them,  soon  made  me  the  favourite  of  all  such  as 
purchased  halfpenny  apple-pies  and  halfpenny  plum- 
puddings,  so  that  in  a  few  weeks  the  old  pie  merchant 
shut  up  his  shop.  I  lived  with  this  baker  about  twelve 
or  fifteen  months,  in  which  time  I  sold  such  large 
quantities  of  pies,  puddings,  cakes,  &c.,  that  he  often 
declared  to  his  friends  in  my  hearing  that  I  had  been 
the  means  of  extricating  him  from  the  embarrassing 
circumstances  in  which  he  was  known  to  be  involved 
prior  to  my  entering  his  service." 

Such  a  story  is  a  sufficient  indication  of  character. 
It  exhibits  the  two  qualities  wliich  distinguished  him 
as  a  man — good  sense  and  courage.  Another  story 
of  his  boyhood  is  worth  telling  for  the  same  reason. 
He  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  when  he  went  one 
day  to  a  village  about  two  miles  off,  and  returning  late 
at  night  with  his  father,  who  had  been  drinking  hard 
as  usual,  they  met  a  group  of  women  who  had  turned 
back  from  a  place  called  Eogue  Green  because  they 
had  seen  a  dreadful  apparition  in  a  hollow  part  of  the 
road  where  some  person  had  been  murdered  years 
before.  Of  course  the  place  had  been  haunted  ever 
since !  The  women  dared  not  go  by  the  spot  after 
what  they  had  seen,  and  were  returning  to  the  village 
to  spend  the  night.  Lackington  and  his  father  laughed 
at  the  tale,  and  the  dauntless  boy  engaged  to  walk  on 
in  front  and  go  up  to  the  object  when  they  came  near  it 
in  order  to  discover  what  it  was.  He  did  so,  keeping 
about  fifty  yards  ahead  of  the  company  and  calling 
to  them  to  come  on.  Having  walked  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  the  object  came  in  sight.     "  Here  it  is  ! " 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  23 

said  he.  "  Lord  have  mercy  on  us  ! "  cried  they,  and 
were  preparing  to  run,  "  but  shame  prevented  them." 
Making  a  long  file  behind  him,  the  order  of  procedure 
of  course  being  according  to  the  degree  of  each  person's 
courage,  they  moved  on  with  trembling  steps  toward 
the  ghost  Although  the  boy's  "  hat  was  lifted  otf 
his  head  by  his  hair  standing  on  end,"  and  his  teeth 
chattered  in  his  mouth,  he  was  pledged  in  honour  and 
must  go  on.  Coming  close  to  the  dreaded  spectre, 
he  saw  its  true  character — "  a  very  short  tree,  whose 
limbs  had  been  newly  cut  off,  the  doing  of  which  had 
made  it  much  resemble  a  giant."  The  boy's  pluck  was 
the  talk  of  the  town,  and  he  "  was  mentioned  as  a  hero." 

His  merits  as  a  pie  vendor  had  made  him  a  reputa- 
tion, and  now  an  application  was  made  to  his  father 
to  allow  James  to  sell  almanacs  about  the  time  of 
Christmas  and  the  New  Year.  He  rejoiced  immensely 
in  this  occupation  and  drove  a  splendid  trade,  exciting 
the  envy  and  ire  of  the  itinerant  vendors  of  Moore, 
Wing,  and  Poor  Eobin  to  such  a  degree  that  he 
speaks  of  his  father's  fear  lest  these  poor  hawkers,  who 
found  their  occupation  almost  gone,  should  do  the 
daring  young  interloper  some  grievous  bodily  harm. 
"  But,"  he  says,  "  I  had  not  the  least  concern ;  and 
as  I  had  a  light  pair  of  heels,  I  always  kept  at  a 
proper  distance." 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  bound  for  seven 
years  to  Mr.  Bowden  of  Taunton,  a  shoemaker.  The 
indentures  made  Lackington  the  servant  of  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bowden,  so  that,  in  case  of  the  death  of 
the  former,  the  latter  might  claim  the  service  of  the 
apprentice.  The  Bowdens  were  steady,  religious  people 
who  attended  what  Lackington  calls  "an  Anabaptist 


24  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

meeting,"  i.e.,  we  presume,  a  Baptist  chapel,  for  the 
Baptists  long  bore  the  opprobrious  epithet  which  was 
first  given  to  them  in  Germany  and  Holland  at  the 
time  of  the  Eeformation.  The  Baptists  of  Taunton 
in  1760  seem  to  have  been  a  dull,  lifeless  class  of 
people,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  type  presented  in 
the  family  of  the  quiet  shoemaker  with  whom  James 
Lackington  went  to  live.  Yet  they  were  on  a  par 
with  the  vast  majority  of  Churches,  established  or  non- 
established,  in  that  age  of  religious  apathy  in  England. 
The  boy  accompanied  the  family  twice  on  the  Sabbath 
to  the  "meeting,"  and  heard,  yet  not  heard,  sermons 
full  of  sound  morality,  but  devoid  of  anything  like 
vigorous,  soul-searching,  and  soul-converting  gospel 
truth,  and  delivered,  withal,  in  the  flattest  and  most 
spiritless  manner.  The  ideas  of  the  family  were  as 
circumscribed  as  their  library,  and  that  was  small 
and  meagre  enough,  in  all  conscience.  It  may  be 
worth  while  to  give  an  inventory  of  its  contents.  It 
will  cover  only  a  line  or  two  of  our  space,  and  will  be 
of  some  use  to  those,  perhaps,  who  are  apt  to  mourn 
their  own  poverty  as  regards  books,  and  their  small 
advantages,  though,  perchance,  they  may  have  access 
to  free  libraries  or  cheap  subscription  libraries,  or 
may  be  able  to  buy  or  borrow  all  they  could  find 
time  to  peruse  if  only  they  had  the  wish  to  read. 
Imagine  a  youth  with  any  taste  for  literature  living 
in  a  sleepy  town  like  Taunton  in  1760,  and  looking 
over  his  master's  bookshelves  and  finding  there  a 
school-size  Bible,  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  Foot's 
Tract  on  Baptism,  Culpepper's  Herbal,  the  "  History  of 
the  Gentle  Craft,"  an  old  imperfect  volume  of  receipts 
on   Physic,    Surgery,    &c.,   and   the   Pieady   Eeckoner. 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  25 

Bowden  was  an  odd  character,  evidently.  One  of 
his  strange  customs  is  thus  described  :  "  Every  morn- 
ing, at  all  seasons  of  the  year  and  in  all  weathers, 
he  rose  about  three  o'clock,  took  a  walk  by  the  river's 
side  round  Trenchware  fields,  stopt  at  some  place  or 
other  to  drink  half  a  pint  of  ale,  came  back  before 
six  o'clock  and  called  up  his  people  to  work,  and 
went  to  bed  again  about  seven." 

"  Thus,"  says  Lackington,  "  was  the  good  man's 
family  jogging  easily  and  quietly  on,  no  one  doubting 
but  he  should  go  to  heaven  when  he  died,  and  every 
one  hoping  it  would  be  a  good  while  first." 

The  visit  of  "  one  of  Mr.  Wesley's  preachers"  led  to 
the  conversion  of  the  two  sons  of  Lackington's  employer, 
and  set  the  young  apprentice  on  a  train  of  thought 
and  inquiry  which  eventually  led  him  also  to  cast  in 
his  lot  with  the  Methodists.  He  was  then  about  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  had  so  little  knowledge  of  read- 
ing that  he  gladly  paid  the  three  halfpence  per  week 
which  his  mother  allowed  him  as  pocket-money  to 
one  of  the  young  Bowdens  for  instruction.  Yet  he 
had  at  this  time  no  literary  taste,  and  no  thought 
beyond  the  limited  round  of  devotional  reading,  which 
consisted  chiefly  of  the  Bible,  and  the  tracts,  sermons, 
and  hymns  of  the  Wesleys.  His  desire  to  hear  the 
Methodist  preachers  was  so  great  at  this  time,  that  one 
Sunday  morning,  when  his  mistress  had  looked  the 
door  to  prevent  his  going  out  for  this  purpose,  he  jumped 
out  of  the  bedroom  window,  fondly  imagining  that 
the  words  of  the  ninety-first  Psalm,  the  eleventh  and 
twelfth  verses,  w^hich  he  had  just  been  reading,  would 
be  sufficient  guarantee  of  his  safety  in  perpetrating 
such  an  act  of  rashness  and  folly.     The  last  three  years 


26  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

of  his  apprenticeship  were  spent  in  the  service  of  his 
master's  widow,  Mr.  Bowden  having  died  when  Lack- 
ington  had  served  about  four  years.  When  he  was 
just  twenty-one,  and  about  six  months  before  the 
expiration  of  his  time,  a  severe  contest  for  the  repre- 
sentation of  Taunton  in  Parliament  took  place,  and 
the  friends  of  two  of  the  candidates  purchased  his 
freedom  from  Mrs.  Bowden's  service  in  order  to  secure 
both  his  vote  and  his  services.  The  scenes  of  excite- 
ment and  dissipation  into  which  he  was  thrown  at  this 
time  unsettled  his  mind,  and  for  a  time  entirely  ruined 
his  religious  character.  The  election  over,  he  went  to 
live  at  Bristol,  aud  lodged  in  a  street  called  Castle 
Ditch,  with  a  young  man  named  John  Jones,  a  maker 
of  stuff  shoes,  who  led  him  into  dissipation.  Jones, 
however,  had  been  pretty  well  educated,  and  managed 
to  awaken  in  Lackington's  mind  a  desire  for  more 
knowledge  than  he  then  possessed.  He  was,  indeed, 
wofully  ignorant,  had  no  idea  of  writing,  and  when 
he  began  to  feel  a  thirst  for  general  reading,  confesses 
that  he  dared  not  enter  a  bookseller's  shop  because  he 
did  not  know  the  name  of  any  book  to  ask  for.  His 
friend  Jones  picked  up  at  a  bookstall  a  copy  of  Walker's 
"Paraphrase  of  Epictetus,"  which  seems  to  have  charmed 
the  young  shoemaker  immensely,  and  to  have  turned 
him  for  a  time  into  a  regular  stoic. 

The  taste  for  reading  once  awakened,  he  soon  grew 
weary  of  a  life  of  sin  and  folly.  One  evening  he 
turned  into  a  chapel  in  Broadmead  to  hear  Mr.  Wesley, 
who  was  preaching  there.  The  old  fire  of  religious 
enthusiasm  was  once  more  enkindled,  and  burned  as 
fiercely  as  ever.  His  companions  were  soon  brought 
to  join  the  Wesleyan  Society,  and  for  a  time  the  little 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  27 

knot  of  shoemakers  working  together  lived  a  life  of 
intense  religious  devotion,  working  hard  and  singing 
hymns  or  holding  religious  conversation  all  day,  read- 
ing the  works  of  leading  evangelical  divines  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  night,  and  seldom  allowing 
themselves  more  than  three  hours'  sleep. 

The  religious  was  combined  with  the  philosophic 
mind.  He  bought  copies  of  such  books  as  Plato  on 
the  "  Immortality  of  the  Soul,"  Plutarch's  "  Lives,"  the 
"  Morals  of  Confucius,"  &c. ;  and,  speaking  of  this 
time,  he  says,  "  The  pleasures  of  eating  and  drinking  I 
entirely  despised,  and  for  some  time  carried  the  dispo- 
sition to  an  extreme.  The  account  of  Epicurus  living 
in  his  garden  at  the  expense  of  about  a  halfpenny 
per  day,  and  that  when  he  added  a  little  cheese  to 
his  bread  on  particular  occasions  he  considered  it  as  a 
luxury,  filled  me  with  raptures.  From  that  moment  I 
began  to  live  on  bread  and  tea,  and  for  a  considerable 
time  did  not  partake  of  any  other  viand,  but  in  that  I 
indulged  myself  three  or  four  times  a  day.  My  rea- 
sons for  living  in  this  abstemious  manner  were  in  order 
to  save  money  to  purchase  books,  to  wean  myself  from 
the  gross  pleasures  of  eating,  drinking,  &c.,  and  to 
purge  my  mind  and  make  it  more  susceptible  of  intel- 
lectual pleasures." 

Leaving  Bristol  in  1769,  he  lived  for  a  year  at 
Kingsbridge,  Devonshire,  where  he  worked  as  a  maker 
of  stuff  and  silk  shoes.  In  1770  he  went  back  to 
Bristol,  and  lodged  once  more  with  his  old  friends,  the 
Joneses.  At  the  end  of  that  year  he  married  Nancy 
Smith,  an  old  sweetheart,  whom  he  had  fallen  in  love 
with  sevm  years  previously,  "  beiug  at  Farmer  Gamlin  s 
at  Charlton,  four  miles  from  Taunton,  to  hear  a  Me- 


28  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

thodist  sermon."  Nancy  was  dairymaid  then,  and  was 
accounted  handsome  ;  she  was  a  devout  Methodist,  and 
an  amiable,  industrious,  thrifty  woman.  But  they  were 
wretchedly  poor  at  the  time  of  their  marriage,  and 
liad  to  go  and  live  in  lodgings  at  half-a-crown  a  week. 
"  Our  finances,"  he  remarks,  "  were  but  just  sufficient 
to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  (wedding)  day,  for  in  search- 
ing our  pockets  (which  we  did  not  do  in  a  careless 
manner),  we  discovered  that  we  had  but  one  halfpenny 
to  begin  the  world  with.  'Tis  true  we  had  laid  in 
eatables  sufficient  for  a  day  or  two,  in  which  time  we 
knew  we  could  by  our  work  procure  more,  which  we 
very  cheerfully  set  about,  singing  together  the  follow- 
ing strains  of  Dr.  Cotton : — 

'  Oiir  portion  is  not  large  indeed, 
But  then  how  little  do  we  need  ? 

For  Nature's  calls  are  few. 
In  this  the  art  of  living  lies, 
To  want  no  more  than  may  suffice, 

And  make  that  little  do.' 

"  The  above,  and  the  following  ode  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Wesley,  we  did  scores  of  times  repeat,  even  with  rap- 
tures : — 

'  No  glory  I  covet,  no  riches  I  want, 
Ambition  is  nothing  to  me  : 
The  one  thing  I  beg  of  kind  Heaven  to  grant 
Is  a  mind  independent  and  free. 

'  By  passion  unruiHed,  untainted  by  pride, 
By  reason  my  life  let  me  square  ; 
The  wants  of  my  nature  are  cheaply  supplied, 
And  the  rest  are  but  folly  and  care. 

'  Those  blessings  which  Providence  kindly  has  lent 
I'll  justly  and  gratefully  prize  ; 
While  sweet  meditation  and  cheerful  content 
Shall  make  me  both  healthy  and  wise. 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  29 

'  How  vainly  through  infinite  trouble  and  strife 
The  many  their  labours  employ  ; 
When  all  that  is  truly  delightful  in  life 
Is  what  all,  if  they  will,  may  enjoy.'  " 

Sound  sense  and  true  philosophy  this ;  and  sorely 
did  the  young  shoemaker  and  his  much-enduring  wife 
feel  the  need  of  such  philosophy  to  hearten  and  con- 
sole them  when  four  and  sixpence  a  week  was  all  they 
had  to  spend  on  eating  and  drinking,  and  when,  as  he 
states,  "  strong  beer  we  had  none,  nor  any  other  liquor 
(the  pure  element  excepted) ;  and  instead  of  tea,  or 
rather  coffee,  we  toasted  a  piece  of  bread,  at  other 
times  we  fried  some  wheat,  which,  when  boiled  in 
water,  made  a  tolerable  substitute  for  coffee  ;  and  as  to 
animal  food,  we  made  use  of  but  little,  and  that  little 
we  boiled  and  made  broth  of."  That  the  cheerful  sen- 
timents with  which  they  set  out  in  life  did  not  fail 
them  under  the  stress  of  such  hardships  as  these  is 
sufficiently  shown  by  the  statement  with  which  he 
closes  the  chapter  which  deals  with  this  part  of  his 
history :  "  During  the  whole  of  this  time  we  never  once 
wished  for  anything  that  we  had  not  got,  but  were 
quite  contented,  and  with  a  good  grace  in  reality  made 
a  virtue  of  necessity." 

After  three  years  Lackington  resolved  to  go  to 
Loudon  in  the  hope  of  meeting  with  better  work  and 
pay.  It  was  indeed  dire  necessity  that  drove  him  to 
take  this  step.  Incessant  suffering  and  semi-starvation 
seemed  inevitable  if  he  remained  in  Bristol.  His  wife 
had  been  extremely  ill  almost  from  the  beginning  of 
their  residence  in  the  city,  probably  owing  to  the 
change  from  country  air  and  active  employment  to  the 
close  atmosphere  and  sedentary  occupation  to  which 


30  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

she  was  now  accustomed.  Her  continued  illness  and 
his  own  hopeless  state  of  poverty  drove  him  to  make 
the  venture.  Accordingly,  having  given  her  all  the 
money  he  could  spare,  he  set  off  for  the  metropolis, 
and  arrived  there  in  August  1774,  with  half-a-crown 
in  his  pocket. 

Once  in  London,  the  tide  of  his  fortune  turned. 
He  soon  found  plenty  of  work  and  got  good  wages. 
In  a  month  his  wife  was  sent  for,  and  the  two  worked 
so  industriously  and  lived  so  economically,  that  before 
long  Nancy  changed  her  cloth  cloak  for  one  of  silk, 
and  her  worthy  husband  indulged  in  the  luxury  of  a 
greatcoat,  the  first  he  had  ever  worn.  When  he  had 
been  in  London  about  four  months  he  received  tidings  of 
the  death  of  his  grandfather,  who  had  left  ten  pounds 
apiece  to  each  of  his  grandchildren.  He  was  so 
ignorant  of  money  matters  that  he  had  no  notion  of 
obtaining  the  money  except  by  going  down  to  Somer- 
setshire to  fetch  it,  and  the  sum  was  accounted  so 
prodigious,  that  he  at  once  set  off  to  claim  his  property  ; 
"  so  that,"  he  says,  "  it  cost  me  about  half  the  money 
in  going  down  for  it  and  in  returning  to  town  again." 
"  With  the  remainder  of  the  money,"  he  adds,  "  we 
purchased  household  goods ;  but  as  we  then  had  not 
sufficient  to  furnish  a  room,  we  worked  hard  and  lived 
hard,  so  that  in  a  short  time  we  had  a  room  furnished 
with  our  own  goods ;  and  I  believe  that  Alexander 
the  Great  never  reflected  on  his  immense  acquisitions 
with  half  the  heart-felt  enjoyment  which  we  experienced 
on  this  capital  attainment."  Now  and  then  he  visited 
the  old  bookshops  and  added  a  few  books  to  his  small 
library.  One  Christmas  Eve  he  went  out  with  half-a- 
crown  in  his  pocket  to  purchase  the  Christmas  dinner. 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  31 

Passing  by  an  old  bookshop,  he  could  not  resist  the 
inducement  to  turn  in  and  look  over  the  stock.  He 
intended  to  spend  only  a  few  pence  on  some  book ; 
but  a  copy  of  Young's  "  Night  Thoughts/'  which  he 
very  much  coveted,  was  so  tempting  a  prize,  that, 
without  hesitation,  he  laid  down  his  half-crown  for  the 
purchase  of  it.  On  returning  home,  he  had  no  slight 
difficulty  to  persuade  his  wife  of  "the  superiority  of 
intellectual  pleasures  over  sensual  gratifications."  "  I 
think,"  said  he  to  his  patient  spouse,  "that  I  have 
acted  wisely ;  for  had  I  bought  a  dinner,  we  should 
have  eaten  it  to-morrow,  and  the  pleasure  would  have 
been  soon  over ;  but  should  we  live  fifty  years  longer, 
we  shall  have  tlie  '  Night  Thoughts '  to  feast  upon." 

In  June  1775  one  of  his  Wesleyan  friends  looked 
in  on  Lackington  and  his  wife  as  they  sat  at  work 
making  boots  and  shoes,  and  told  them  of  a  "  shop 
and  parlour"  which  were  then  to  let  in  Feather- 
stone  Street,  where  it  was  suggested  Lackington  might 
obtain  work  as  a  master-shoemaker.  He  at  once  fell 
in  with  the  proposal,  and  added  that  "  he  would  sell 
Ijooks  also."  He  does  not  seem  to  have  formed  any 
intention  of  bookselling  previous  to  this  interview,  but 
the  prospect  of  having  a  shop  of  his  own  led  him  to 
think  how  easy  and  pleasant  it  would  be  to  combine 
the  two  kinds  of  business.  He  says  in  his  own  naive 
manner:  "When  he  proposed  my  taking  the  shop,  it 
instantly  occurred  to  my  mind  that  for  several  months 
past  I  had  observed  a  great  increase  in  a  certain  old 
bookshop,  and  that  I  was  persuaded  I  knew  as 
much  of  old  books  as  the  person  who  kept  it.  I 
further  observed  that  I  loved  books,  and  that  if  I 
could  but  be  a  bookseller,  I  should  then  have  plenty 


32  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

of  books  to  read,  which  was  the  greatest  motive  I 
could  conceive  to  induce  me  to  make  the  attempt." 
His  friend  engaged  to  procure  the  shop,  and  Lackington 
bought  "  a  bag  full  of  old  books,  chiefly  divinity,  for  a 
guinea,"  which,  together  with  his  own  little  library 
and  some  scraps  of  old  leather,  were  worth  five  pounds. 
With  this  stock  he  "  opened  shop  on  Midsummer  Day 
1775  in  Featherstone  Street,  in  the  parish  of  St. 
Luke." 

He  borrowed  five  pounds  from  a  fund  which  Wes- 
ley's people  had  raised  for  the  purpose  of  lending 
out  on  a  short  term  to  men  of  good  character  who 
were  in  need  of  help  in  business  or  domestic  difficulties. 
"No  interest  appears  to  have  been  required,  and  he 
states  that  the  money  was  of  great  service  to  him. 
At  this  time  they  lived  in  the  most  economical  and 
sparing  manner,  "  often  dining  on  potatoes,  and  quench- 
ing their  thirst  with  water,"  for  they  could  not  forget 
the  trials  through  which  they  had  passed,  and,  haunted 
by  the  dread  of  their  recurrence,  were  determined,  if 
possible,  to  provide  against  them. 

After  six  months  his  stock  had  increased  to  jC^S- 
"  This  stock  I  deemed  too  great  to  be  buried  in 
Featherstone  Street ;  and  a  shop  and  parlour  being  to 
let  in  Chiswell  Street,  No.  46,  I  took  them."  His 
business  in  the  sale  of  books  proved  so  prosperous, 
that,  in  a  few  weeks  after  removing  to  Chiswell  Street, 
he  disposed  of  his  little  stock  of  leather  and  altogether 
abandoned  the  gentle  craft.  At  this  time  his  stock 
consisted  almost  entirely  of  divinity,  and  for  a  year  or 
two  he  "  conscientiously  destroyed  such  books  as  fell 
into  his  hands  as  were  written  by  free-thinkers  :  he 
would  neither  read  them  himself,  nor  sell   them   to 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  33 

others."  He  makes  some  curious  and  sagacious  re- 
marks on  bargain-lmnters  who  frequented  his  shop  at 
this  time,  while  his  stock  was  low  and  poor,  and  who 
in  their  craze  after  "  bargains  "  often  paid  him  double 
the  price  for  dirty  old  books  that  he  afterwards 
charged  when  he  had  a  larger  stock,  and  had  adopted 
the  principle  of  selling  every  book  at  its  lowest  paying 
price.  These  people,  he  observed,  forsook  his  shop  as 
soon  as  he  began  to  introduce  better  order,  and  to 
appear  "  respectable  !  "  ^  He  had  not  been  long  in 
Chiswell  Street,  before  both  his  wife  and  himself  were 
seized  with  fever.  She  died  and  was  buried  without 
his  having  once  seen  her  after  her  illness.  The  shop 
was  left  in  the  care  of  a  boy,  his  house  was  put  in 
charge  of  nurses,  who  robbed  him  of  his  linen  and 
other  articles,  kept  themselves  drunk  with  gin,  and 
would  have  left  him  to  perish.  The  timely  presence 
of  his  sister  saved  his  life,  and  several  Wesleyau 
friends  saved  him  from  ruin  by  locking  up  his  shop, 
which  the  nurses  and  boy  together  would  soon  have 
emptied.  Although  he  wrote  the  whole  story  in  after 
years  in  a  vein  of  flippant  sarcasm  and  irreverence 
for  religion,  he  was  constrained  to  acknowledge  his 
great  obligation  to  the  friends  whose  religion  prompted 
them  thus  to  act  the  good  Samaritan  to  him  in  his 
dire    extremity.      "  The   above   gentlemen,"    he    says, 

1  "Bibliomaniacs"  will  be  interested  to  learn  the  price  of  certain 
books  at  this  date,  1775-  Lackington  says,  Martyn's  "Dictionary  of 
Natural  History  "  sold  for  £1$,  15s.,  which  then  stood  in  my  catalogue 
at_^4,  15s.  ;  Pilkington's  "  Dictionary  of  Painters,"  £"],  7s.,  usually  sold 
at  three  ;  Francis's  "  Horace,"  £2,  lis.  At  Sir  George  Colebrook's  sale 
the  8vo  edition  of  the  "Tatler  "  sold  for  two  guineas  and  a-half.  At  a 
sale  a  few  weeks  since,  Rapin's  History  in  folio,  the  two  first  vols,  only, 
8old  for  upwards  of  ;i^5. 

C 


34  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"not  only  took  care  of  my  shop,  but  also  advanced 
money  to  pay  such  expenses  as  occurred;  and  as  my 
wife  was  dead,  they  assisted  in  making  my  will  in 
favour  of  my  mother."  "These  worthy  gentlemen," 
he  adds,  "  belong  to  Mr.  Wesley's  Society  (and  not- 
withstanding they  have  imbibed  many  enthusiastic 
whims),  yet  would  they  be  an  honour  to  any  society, 
and  are  a  credit  to  human  nature." 

In  1776  he  married  Miss  Dorcas  Turton,  a  friend 
of  his  first  wife.  It  seems  to  have  been  her  influence, 
to  a  large  extent,  that  drew  him  away  from  Wesleyan- 
ism  and  religion.  She  was  a  woman  of  considerable 
education,  and  a  great  reader,  kindly  and  affectionate 
in  her  disposition,  a  dutiful  daughter  to  her  aged  and 
dependent  father,  whom  she  had  supported  after  his 
failure  in  business  by  keeping  a  school.  But  she 
seems  to  have  had  no  thought  of  religious  truth  as  a 
basis  for  character  and  an  impulse  to  right  conduct, 
and  her  absolute  indifference  to  religion  soon  told  on 
the  mind  of  a  sensitive  and  impulsive  man  like  Lack- 
ino-ton.  "  I  did  not  long  remain  in  Mr.  Wesley's 
Society,"  he  writes,  referring  to  this  same  year  1776, 
"  and,  what  is  remarkable,  I  well  remember  that,  some 
years  before,  Mr.  Wesley  told  his  society  in  Broadmead, 
Bristol,  in  my  hearing,  that  he  could  never  keep  a 
bookseller  six  months  in  his  flock." 

Two  years  afterwards  Lackington  entered  into 
partnership  for  three  years  with  Mr.  Denis,  an  honest 
man,  as  he  is  emphatically  styled,  who  brought  a  con- 
siderable sum  of  money  into  the  business,  by  means  of 
which  the  stock  was  at  once  doubled,  and  the  sales 
vastly  increased.  Lackington  now  proposed  the  issue 
of  a  sale  catalogue,  to  which  his  partner  reluctantly 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  35 

consented.  Both  partners  were  employed  in  writing 
it,  but  the  larger  share  fell  to  Lackington,  whose  name 
alone  appeared  on  the  title-page.  It  was  issued  in 
1779,  and  the  first  week  after  its  publication  the 
partners  took,  what  they  regarded  as  the  "  large  sum  " 
of  twenty  pounds.  Denis,  finding  his  money  pay  better 
in  business  than  in  the  Funds,  invested  a  larger  sum 
in  stock,  but  when  Lackington,  who  according  to  the 
terms  of  the  agreement  was  sole  purchaser,  began  to 
buy,  as  his  partner  thought,  too  largely,  they  had  a 
dispute  over  the  matter  and  dissolved  partnership  on 
friendly  terms  a  year  before  the  term  of  partnership 
had  expired.  Denis,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  remained 
friendly  with  Lackington,  and  used  to  call  in  every  day 
on  passing  his  shop  to  inquire  what  purchases  and 
sales  he  had  effected,  and  now  and  then  the  honest 
man  lent  his  old  partner  money  to  help  in  paying 
bills. 

In  1780  he  resolved  to  give  no  credit  to  any  one, 
and  to  sell  all  his  books  at  the  lowest  price  bearing 
a  working  profit.  The  effect  of  this  new  method  of 
doing  bu-siness  was  remarkable  in  many  ways.  Long 
credit  seems  to  have  been  common  in  the  trade  in 
those  days,  most  bills  were  not  paid  within  six  months, 
many  not  within  a  twelvemonth,  and  some  not  within 
two  years.  "  Indeed,"  he  adds,  "many  tradesmen  have 
accounts  of  seven  years'  standing;  and  some  bills 
are  never  paid  "  (!)  After  recounting  the  disadvan- 
tages of  the  credit  system,  he  says,  "  Wlien  I  com- 
municated my  ideas  on  this  subject  to  some  of  my 
acquaintances,  I  was  much  laughed  at  and  ridiculed ; 
and  it  was  thought  that  I  might  as  well  attempt  to 
rebuild  the  Tower   of  Babel  as   to   establish  a  large 


36  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

business  witliout  giving  credit."  The  offence  given  to 
some  old  customers  was  very  great,  and  for  a  time  he 
lost  them,  but  they  soon  returned  on  learning  how 
much  lower  his  books  were  now  marked  than  those  of 
other  booksellers.  As  to  others  who  would  only  deal 
on  credit,  he  cared  little  when  he  observed  their  anger, 
very  wisely  remarking  that  "  some  of  them  would  have 
been  as  much  enraged  when  their  bills  were  sent  in 
had  credit  been  given  them."  The  booksellers  them- 
selves were  not  a  little  annoyed  by  the  innovations  of 
the  dauntless  trader,  and  appear  to  have  said  some 
bitter  things  about  him  and  his  stock.  Some  of  them 
were  "mean  enough  to  assert  that  all  my  books  were 
bound  in  sheep,"  and  he  adds,  in  language  that  does 
him  credit,  "  as  every  envious  transaction  was  to  me 
an  additional  spur  to  exertion,  I  am  therefore  not  a 
little  indebted  to  Messrs.  Envy,  Detraction,  and  Co. 
for  my  present  prosperity,  though,  I  assure  you,  this 
is  the  only  debt  I  am  determined  not  to  pay." 

This  adoption  of  the  "  no  credit"  system  was  the 
first  decided  step  toward  Lackington's  wonderful  suc- 
cess in  business.  In  five  years  his  catalogues  con- 
tained the  names  of  thirty  thousand  books,  and  these 
were  generally  of  a  much  better  description. 

The  most  startling  innovation  he  made  in  the  trade 
of  bookselling,  and  the  one  which  led  to  the  largest 
amount  of  opposition  on  the  part  of  his  fellow-trades- 
men, was  in  regard  to  the  way  of  dealing  with  what 
are  called  '  remainders.'  When  a  bookseller  found  a 
book  did  not  sell  well,  it  was  his  custom  to  put  what 
remained  into  a  private  sale,  "  where  only  booksellers 
were  admitted,  and  of  them  only  such  as  were  invited 
by  having  a  catalogue  sent  them."     "  When  first  in- 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  37 

vited   to  these    trade  -  sales,"   he    says,   "I   was   very 
much  surprised  to  learn  that  it  was  common  for  such 
as  purchased  remainders  to  destroy  one-half  or  three- 
fourths  of  such  books,  and  to  charge  the  full  publica- 
tion price,  or  nearly  that,  for  such  as  they  kept  on 
hand.     For  a  short  time  I  cautiously  complied  with 
this  custom."     But  he  soon  became  convinced  of  the 
folly  of  this  practice,  and  resolved  to  keep  the  whole 
stock  of  books  and  sell  them  off  at  low  prices.     By 
this  means  he  disposed  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
volumes  at  a  small  profit,  which  amounted  to  a  larger 
sum  in  the  end  than  if  he  had  destroyed  three  out 
of  four  and  sold  the  rest  at  the  original  retail  price. 
This  course  made  him  many  enemies   in   the   trade, 
who  tried  to  injure  him,  and  even  did  their  best  to 
keep  him  out   of   the  sale-rooms.      It  was,  however, 
of  no  avail,  his   business   increased   enormously,   his 
customers  appreciating  his  method,  whether  the  book- 
sellers did   or    not.      He    often   bought   enormously; 
"  West  says  he  sat  next  to  Lackington  at  a  sale  when 
he   spent   upwards    of    i^  12,000    in   an   afternoon."^ 
It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  him  to  buy  several 
thousand  copies  of  one  book,  and  at  one  time  he  had 
tc7h  thousand  copies  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  the  same 
number  of  his  Hymns  in  stock.      Of  course  he  found 
it  necessary  to  sell  out  rapidly,  or  business  would  soon 
have  come  to  a  dead-lock  ;  for,  as  he  justly  observes, 
"  no  one  that  has  not  a  quick  sale  can  possibly  suc- 
ceed with  large  numbers."      "So   that   I    often   look 
back,"  he  remarks,  "  with  astonishment  at  my  courage 
(or  temerity,  if  you  please)  in   purchasing,   and   my 

1    "History  of   Booksellera,"    by   H.   Curwen,    p.    73.      Chatto    & 
Windus. 


38  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

wonderful  success  in  taking  money  sufficient  to  pay 
the  extensive  demands  tliat  were  perpetually  made 
upon  me,  as  there  is  not  another  instance  of  success 
so  rapid  and  constant  under  such  circumstances."  It 
is  interesting  to  notice  how  trifling  a  circumstance 
it  was  which  led  him  to  adopt  the  plan  of  selling 
every  article  at  the  lowest  renumerative  price.  "  Mrs. 
Lackington  had  bought  a  piece  of  linen ;  when  the 
linen-draper's  man  brought  it  into  my  shop  three 
ladies  were  present,  and  on  seeing  the  cloth  opened 
asked  Mrs.  L.  what  it  cost  per  yard.  On  being  told 
the  price,  they  all  said  it  was  very  cheap,  and  each 
lady  went  and  purchased  the  same  quantity ;  those 
pieces  were  again  displayed  to  their  acquaintance,  so 
that  the  linen-draper  got  a  deal  of  custom  from  that 
circumstance;  and  I  resolved  to  do  likewise."  He 
admits  that  he  often  sold  a  "great  number  of  articles 
much  lower  than  he  ought,  even  on  his  own  plan  of 
selling  cheap,  yet  that  gave  him  no  concern,"  "  but  if 
he  found  out  that  he  had  sold  any  articles  too  dear," 
he  declares  that  "  it  gave  him  much  uneasiness."  He 
reflects  in  his  own  simple  fashion :  "  If  I  sell  a  book 
too  dear,  I  perhaps  lose  that  customer  and  his  friends 
for  ever,  but  if  I  sell  articles  cousiderably  under  their 
real  value  the  purchaser  will  come  again  and  recom- 
mend my  shop  to  his  acquaintances,  so  that  from  the 
principles  of  self-interest  I  would  sell  cheap." 

The  following  observations  of  a  shrewd  observer 
are  worth  quoting  as  a  testimony  to  the  change  which 
had  begun  to  come  over  the  minds  of  the  people  of 
this  country  in  regard  to  reading,  about  a  hundred 
years  ago.  "  I  cannot  help  observing  that  the  sale 
of  books  in  general  has  increased  prodigiously  within 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  39 

the  last  twenty  years  [1791].  According  to  the  best 
estimation  I  have  been  able  to  make,  I  suppose  that 
more  than  four  times  the  number  of  books  are  sold 
now  than  were  sold  twenty  years  since.  The  poorer 
sort  of  farmers,  and  even  the  poor  country  people  in 
general,  who  before  that  period  spent  their  winter 
evenings  in  relating  stories  of  witches,  ghosts,  hob- 
goblins, &c.,  now  shorten  the  nights  by  hearing  their 
sons  and  daughters  read  tales,  romances,  &c. ;  and  on 
entering  their  houses,  you  may  see  'Tom  Jones,'  'Eoderic 
liandom,'  and  other  entertaining  books  stuck  up  on 
their  bacon-racks,  &c. ;  and  if  John  goes  to  town  with 
a  load  of  hay,  he  is  charged  to  be  sure  not  to  forget 
to  bring  home  '  Peregrine  Pickle's  Adventures ; '  and 
when  Dolly  is  sent  to  market  to  sell  her  eggs  she  is 
commissioned  to  purchase  '  The  History  of  Pamela 
Andrews.'  In  short,  all  ranks  and  degrees  now  kead. 
But  the  most  rapid  increase  of  the  sale  of  books  has 
been  since  the  termination  of  the  late  war."  ^ 

He  tells  the  story  of  his  going  to  reside  in  the 
country  and  set  up  a  carriage,  horses,  and  liveried 
servants  in  his  own  quaint  and  self-complacent  style. 
"  My  country  lodging  by  regular  gradation  was  trans- 
formed into  a  country  house,  and  the  inconveniences 
attending  a  stage-coach  were  remedied  by  a  chariot." 
This  house  was  taken  at  Merton  in  Surrey.  Eeferring 
to  the  captious  remarks  of  his  neighbours,  he  says, 
"  When  by  the  advice  of  that  eminent  physician.  Dr. 
Lettsom,  I  purchased  a  horse  and  saved  my  life  by 

1  Articles  of  Peace  with  the  United  States  were  signed  Nov.  30th, 
1 782  ;  and  the  Peace  of  Versailles,  between  France,  Spain,  and  Eng- 
land, was  made  Jan.  20,  17S3.  It  is  to  this,  no  doubt,  that  Lacking- 
ton  refers. 


40  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

the  exercise  it  afforded  me,  the  old  adage,  '  Set  a 
beggar  on  horsehacJc,  and  hell  ride  to  the  devil,'  was 
deemed  fully  verified ;  they  were  very  sorry  to  see 
peoj^le  so  young  in  business  run  on  at  so  great  a 
rate ! "  The  occasional  relaxation  enjoyed  in  the 
country  was  censured  as  an  abominable  piece  of  pride ; 
but  when  the  carriage  and  servants  in  livery  appeared, 
"  they  would  not  be  the  first  to  hurt  a  foolish  trades- 
man's character,  but  if  (as  was  but  too  probable)  the 
docket  was  not  already  struck,  the  Gazette  would  soon 
settle  that  point."  It  appears  that  some  of  these 
wiseacres  speculated  as  to  the  means  by  which  the 
fortunate  bookseller  had  made  his  large  fortune.  Some 
spoke  of  a  lottery  ticket,  and  others  were  sure  that  he 
must  have  found  a  number  of  "  bank-notes  in  an  old 
book  to  the  amount  of  many  thousand  pounds,  and 
if  they  please  can  even  tell  you  the  title  of  the  old 
book  that  contained  the  treasure."  "  But,"  he  jocosely 
remarks,  "  you  shall  receive  it  from  me,  which  you 
will  deem  authority  to  the  full  as  unexceptionable. 
I  found  the  whole  of  what  I  am  possessed  of,  in — 
SMALL  PROFITS,   lound  by  INDUSTRY,    and   clasped   by 

ECONOMY." 

It  is  curious  to  notice  the  frank  and  simple  manner 
in  which  he  speaks  of  his  profits,  and  of  the  way  in 
which  he  did  his  business.  "  The  profits  of  my  busi- 
ness the  present  year  [1791]  will  amount  to  four 
thousand  pounds,"  he  writes,  and  goes  on  to  say  that 
"  the  cost  and  selling  price  of  every  book  was  marked 
in  it,  whether  the  price  is  sixpence  or  sixty  pounds,  is 
entered  in  a  day-book  as  they  are  sold,  with  the  price 
it  cost  and  the  money  it  sold  for ;  and  each  night  the 
profits  of  the  day  are  cast  up  by  one  of  my  shopmen. 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  41 

as  every  one  of  them  understands  my  private  marks. 
Every  Saturday  night  the  profits  of  the  week  are  de- 
clared before  all  my  shopmen,  &c.,  the  week's  profits, 
and  also  the  expenses  of  the  week,  then  entered  one 
opposite  another ;  the  whole  sum  taken  in  the  week  is 
also  set  down,  and  the  sum  that  has  been  paid  for  books 
bought.  These  accounts  are  kept  publicly  in  my  shop, 
and  ever  have  been  so,  as  I  never  saw  any  reason  for 
concealing  them."  He  speaks  in  the  same  letter  of 
sellincf  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  volumes  an- 
nually,  and  adds,  in  his  own  complacent  manner,  "  I 
believe  it  is  universally  allowed  that  no  man  ever 
promoted  the  sale  of  books  in  an  equal  degree  I " 

Lackington  at  length  quitted  Chiswell  Street,  and 
took  the  enormous  building  at  the  corner  of  Finsbury 
Square,  which  was  styled  "  The  Temple  of  the  Muses," 
and  to  which  the  public  were  invited  as  the  cheapest 
bookshop  in  the  world.  He  declared  in  his  catalogue 
that  he  had  half  a  million  of  books  constantly  on  sale, 
"  and  these  were  arranged  in  galleries  and  rooms  rising 
in  tiers — the  more  expensive  books  at  the  bottom,  and 
the  prices  diminishing  with  every  floor,  but  all  num- 
bered according  to  a  catalogue  which  Lackington  com- 
piled by  himself."^  His  profits  on  the  first  year's 
trade  at  "  The  Temple  of  the  Muses "  amounted  to 
^5000.  He  retired  from  business  in  1798,  having 
made  a  large  fortune. 

His  capacity  for  business  was  remarkable.  Until 
he  was  nearly  thirty  years  of  age  he  had  no  opportu- 
nity of  exercising  it.  But  once  having  given  up  the 
gentle  craft,  in  which  he  was  no  great  proficient,  he 
proved  himself  one  of  the  smartest  and  cleverest  busi- 

1  "  History  of  Booksellers,"  see  above,  p.  74. 


42  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

ness  men  in  London.  "We  can  readily  pardon  the 
simple  vanity  of  the  self-made  and  self-taught  mer- 
chant prince  who  writes  about  his  recently  acquired 
chariot  in  the  following  strain :  "  And  I  assure  you,  sir, 
that  reflecting  on  the  means  by  which  the  carriage  was 
procured  adds  not  a  little  to  the  pleasure  of  riding  in 
it.  I  believe  I  may,  without  being  deemed  censorious, 
assert  that  there  are  some  who  ride  in  their  carriages 
who  cannot  reflect  on  the  means  by  which  they  were 
acquired  with  an  equal  degree  of  satisfaction."  For 
several  years,  both  before  and  after  he  retired  from 
business,  he  made  a  journey  through  different  parts  of 
England  and  Scotland,  calling  at  the  chief  towns,  such 
as  York,  Leeds,  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Carlisle,  Lancas- 
ter, Manchester,  Bristol,  and  inspecting  the  bookshops. 
His  observations  are  of  the  most  quaint  and  out-of-the- 
way  character.  At  Newcastle  he  foimd  nothing  more 
remarkable  to  record  than  "  the  celebrated  crow's-nest 
affixed  above  the  weather-cock  on  the  upper  extremity 
of  the  steeple  in  the  market-place : "  and  the  famous 
hrank,  an  iron  instrument,  shown  in  the  town-hall,  and 
used  in  olden  time  to  punish  notorious  scolds.  At 
Glasgow  the  most  notable  spectacle,  and  one  that  calls 
forth  a  considerable  amount  of  remark,  is  that  of  the 
washerwomen,  whose  practice  of  getting  into  their  tubs, 
placed  by  the  river-side,  and  dolleying  the  linen  with 
their  bare  feet,  awoke  his  profound  astonishment.  Of 
his  visits  to  Bristol  and  the  west  of  England,  the  scene 
of  his  early  life,  he  gives  the  following  curious  and 
interesting  account :  "  In  Bristol,  Exbridge,  Bridge- 
water,  Taunton,  Wellington,  and  other  places,  I  amused 
myself  in  calling  on  some  of  my  masters,  with  whom 
I  had,  about  twenty  years  before,  worked  as  a  journey- 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  43 

man  shoemaker.  I  addressed  each  with, '  Fray,  sir,  have 
you  got  any  occasion  ?  '  which  is  the  term  made  use  of 
by  journeymen  in  that  useful  occupation  when  seeking 
employment.  Most  of  those  honest  men  had  quite 
forgot  my  person,  as  many  of  them  had  not  seen  me 
since  I  worked  for  them,  so  that  it  is  not  easy  for  you 
to  conceive  with  what  surprise  and  astonishment  they 
gazed  on  me.  For  you  must  know  that  I  had  the 
vanity  (I  call  it  humour)  to  do  this  in  my  chariot, 
attended  by  my  servants ;  and  on  telling  them  who  I 
was,  all  appeared  to  be  very  happy  to  see  me.  And  I 
assure  you,  my  friend,  it  afforded  me  much  real  pleasure 
to  see  my  old  acquaintances  alive  and  well."  Coming 
to  "Wellington,  liis  birthplace  and  home  during  boy- 
hood, he  says,  "  The  bells  rang  merrily  all  the  day  of 
my  arrival.  I  was  also  honoure^^  with  the  attention 
of  many  of  the  most  respectable  people  in  and  near 
Wellington  and  other  parts,  some  of  whom  were  pleased 
to  inform  me  that  the  reason  of  their  paying  a  parti- 
cular attention  to  me  was  their  having  heard,  and  now 
having  themselves  an  opportunity  of  observing,  that  I 
did  not  so  far  forget  myself  as  many  proud  upstarts 
had  done ;  and  that  the  notice  I  took  of  my  poor  rela- 
tions and  old  acquaintance  merited  the  respect  and 
approbation  of  every  real  gentleman." 

Lackington's  kindness  to  his  own  relatives,  and  to 
the  poor,  was  one  of  his  best  qualities.  In  fact,  he 
declares  in  1791  that  he  would  have  retired  from 
business  five  years  previously  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  thought  of  his  poor  relations,  many  of  whom  were 
helpless,  and  whom  h-e  felt  bound  to  relieve  and 
protect.  Besides  supporting  his  "  good  old  mother  " 
for  many  years,  he  soys,  "  I  have  two  aged  men  and 


44  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

one  aged  woman  whom  I  support :  and  I  have  also 
four  children  to  maintain  and  educate;  .  .  .  many- 
others  of  my  relations  are  in  similar  circumstances 
and  stand  in  need  of  my  assistance."  He  also  made 
provision  for  the  support  of  the  very  aged  parents  of 
his  first  wife,  Nancy. 

On  abandoning  business  he  left  his  third  cousin 
George  Lackington  at  the  head  of  the  firm,  while  he 
and  his  wife  went  to  live  at  Thornbury  in  Gloucester- 
shire, in  order  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Tuitons,  his  wife's  relations.  He  bought  two  estates 
in  Alvestone,  on  one  of  which  was  a  genteel  house, 
where  he  lived  in  good  style  for  several  years.  Here 
he  employed  his  time  in  visiting  the  sick  and  poor, 
and  sometimes  in  preaching.  For  he  had  now  returned 
to  the  faith  of  a  Christian,  and  threw  himself  with  his 
accustomed  ardour  into  all  kinds  of  religious  work. 
His  contrition  for  the  severe  and  ungracious  things 
he  had  said  of  the  Wesleyans  in  the  first  editions  of 
his  "  Memoirs  "  was  evidently  very  deep.  He  acknow- 
ledges in  plain  terms  that  he  owed  to  them  all  his 
early  advantages,  and  the  moral  and  mental  awakening 
which  opened  before  him  a  new  path  in  life.  He 
says,  in  the  introduction  to  his  last  edition  of  his 
book,  "  If  I  had  never  heard  the  Methodists  preach,  in 
all  probability  I  should  have  been  at  this  time  a  poor, 
ragged,  dirty  cobbler.  ...  It  was  also  through  them  that 
I  got  the  shop  in  which  I  first  set  up  for  a  bookseller." 

He  built  a  small  chapel  at  Thornbury  on  his  own 
estate,  where  the  Wesleyan  ministers  regularly  officiated. 
In  I  806  he  removed  to  Taunton,  where  he  resided  for 
about  six  years,  built  a  chapel  at  a  cost  of  ;^3000, 
adding  ^i  "50  a  vear  for  the  minister. 


JAMES  LACKINGTON.  45 

On  the  decline  of  his  health  in  i  8  i  2,  he  went  to 
live  by  the  seaside  at  Budleigh  Sulterton,  in  Devon- 
shire, Here  also  he  erected  a  chapel  which  cost 
^2000,  and  endowed  it  with  a  minister's  stipend  of 
^150  per  annum. 

James  Lackington  died  of  paralysis  in  the  seventieth 
year  of  his  age,  on  2 2d  of  November  181  5,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Budleigh  Churchyard.  None  will  deny 
the  successful  bookseller  the  right  to  the  Latin  motto 
with  which  he  has  adorned  the  frontispiece  to  the 
first  edition  of  "  Memoirs  and  Confessions,"  viz. : — 
Sutor  ultra  crepidam  feliciter  ausus} 

^  "  The  shoemaker  happily  abandoned  his  last."  It  may  he  interest- 
ing to  note  that  the  writer's  copy  of  this  curious  book  once  belonged  to 
Henry  Thomas  Buckle,  author  of  "The  History  of  Civilisation."  On 
the  fly-leaf  are  memoranda  of  Wesleyan  and  Jonsonian  anecdotes 
which  Buckle  bad  evidently  made  for  his  own  use. 


Samuel  Brabburn, 

THE    SHOEMAKER   WHO    BECAME   THE    PRESIDENT    OF   THE 
WESLEYAN    CONFERENCE. 


"  I  was  a  poor  ignorant  cobbler." — Samud  Bradburn,  Life  of  Samuel 
Bradhum,  p.  227. 

"  During  forty  years  Samuel  Bradburn  was  esteemed  the  Demos- 
thenes of  Methodism." — Ahel  Stevens,  LL.D.,  quoted  on  title-pacje  of  Life 
ofS.B. 

"  I  have  never  heard  his  equal  ;  I  can  furnish  you  with  no  adequate 
idea  of  his  powers  as  an  orator  ;  we  have  not  a  man  among  us  that  will 
support  anything  like  a  comparison  with  him.  ...  I  never  knew  one 
with  so  great  a'  command  of  language." — Dr.  Adam  Clarke. 

"  The  generous  and  noble-minded  Samuel  Bradburn,  whose  ability 
as  a  public  speaker  was  all  but  unrivalled." — Rev.  Thomas  Jackson,  Pre- 
sident of  the  Wesleyan  Conference. 


(    49    ) 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN. 

'N  the  winter  of  1740  the  pressgaug  men  were 
busy  at  their  abominable  work  in  most  of 
the  maritime  and  inland  towns  of  England ; 
and,  amongst  other  places,  Chester  seems  to  have  sent 
certain  unwilling  recruits  to  make  up  the  rank  and  file 
of  the  army,  and  replenish  the  navy  of  His  Majesty 
King  George  II.  Many  are  the  tales  of  cruelty  which 
belong  to  this  miserable  period  in  the  history  of  our 
army  and  navy.  Thousands  of  able-bodied  men  were 
carried  away  by  main  force  from  their  peaceful  occu- 
pations, from  home  and  friends,  and  everything  that 
was  dear  to  them,  and  compelled  to  do  duty  for  their 
country  in  foreign  climes.  Sons,  husbands,  fathers  of 
families,  steady,  honest,  industrious,  law-abiding  citi- 
zens, or  worthless  waifs  and  strays,  it  mattered  not — all 
who  might  be  of  service,  and  could  be  easily  caught, 
were  seized  and  hurried  off  to  the  nearest  military  or 
naval  depot,  and  were  soon  lost  sight  of  by  their  dis- 
tressed relations,  and  were,  perhaps,  never  heard  of  again 
until  their  names  were  rei:)orted  in  the  list  of  killed 
and  wounded  in  battle.  Now  and  then  the  life  of 
enforced  military  or  naval  service  was  tolerable  and 
even  pleasant  from  a  soldier's  or  sailor's  point  of  view 
and   ended  happily  enough  with  an  honourable  dis- 

D 


50  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

charge  and  pension.  A  wretched  beginning  had  not 
always  a  wretched  course  and  a  miserable  ending,  for 
the  Briton  of  those  days  was  a  much-enduring  creature, 
and  had  strong  notions  about  "  serving  his  country," 
and  soon  learned  to  tolerate  and  even  enjoy  a  condition 
of  things  which,  to  say  the  least,  was  unjustifiable  and 
tyrannical. 

An  incident  connected  with  the  life-story  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  will  illustrate  some  of  the  worst 
features  of  the  system  referred  to,  and  show  the  sort  of 
hardship  and  injustice  to  which  "  the  free  and  noble 
sons "  of  Britain  were  exposed  up  to  a  time  almost 
within  the  memory  of  men  still  living.  Two  men  sat 
drinking  and  chatting  in  a  friendly  manner  in  an  ale- 
house in  Chester  one  night  early  in  the  year  1740.  It 
does  not  seem  that  either  of  them  was  the  worse  for 
liquor,  or  that  anything  unpleasant  had  passed  between 
them  to  spoil  the  pleasure  of  their  intercourse.  In 
fact,  the  two  men  had  known  each  other  years  before, 
and  both  seemed  glad  to  renew  their  acquaintance.  Tlie 
younger  of  the  two  was  only  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  had  been  married  but  a  few  days  previously  to  a 
young  woman  of  nineteen  summers,  to  whom  he  was 
deeply  attached.  After  staying  as  long  as  he  deemed 
expedient  he  rose  to  go  home,  when  to  his  amazement 
the  pretended  "  friend  "  and  old  acquaintance  turned 
upon  him  with  the  words,  "  You  shall  not  leave  this 
room  to-night ;  you  have  now  no  master  but  the  king, 
and  you  must  serve  him,  as  you  have  taken  his  money." 
Guessing  what  was  meant,  the  poor  fellow  felt  in  his 
pocket  and  found  that  his  companion  had  secretly 
slipped  three  guineas  into  it  as  king's  bounty.  It  was 
vain  for  the  enraged  and  distracted  young  man  to  throw 


SAMUEL  BRA DB URN.  51 

the  money  on  the  floor,  and  declare  he  would  none  of 
it  nor  the  king's  service,  that  he  was  but  just  married, 
and  had  no  wish  to  be  a  soldier,  for  armed  men  stood 
round  the  door  and  prevented  escape.  It  was  vain 
also  to  appeal  to  the  magistrates  of  that  day,  for  though 
they  must  have  been  perfectly  well  acquainted  with 
the  nefarious  tricks  of  pressmen  and  recruiting  officers, 
they  accepted  the  evidence  of  the  officer  against  the 
recruit,  and  adjudged  him  a  legal  soldier,  because,  for- 
sooth, he  had  received  the  king's  bounty  and  so  enlisted. 
Such  was  the  experience  of  Samuel  Bradburn's  father, 
and  in  two  days  after  the  event  just  narrated  he  was 
hurried  off"  to  his  regiment,  without  a  chance  of  saying 
good-bye  to  his  friends  or  making  any  further  eff'orts 
for  his  own  release.  Their  grief,  and  the  agony  of  mind 
endured  by  the  young  bride,  may  be  imagined.  She 
had  no  choice  but  to  part  from  him,  perhaps  for  ever ; 
or  to  get  permission  to  attach  herself  to  the  regiment, 
aad  follow  her  husband's  fortunes  as  a  soldier.  No 
true  woman  and  worthy  wife  would  hesitate  long,  and 
the  noble-hearted  Welsh  girl  ^  soon  resolved  not  to 
leave  her  husband.  The  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Flanders,  and  took  part  in  several  battles,  in  one  of 
which  Bradburn  was  severely  wounded,  and  on  the  con- 
clusion of  the  war  in  1748  ordered  to  Gibraltar,  where 
Samuel  was  born,  5th  October  175  i,  and  where  he 
spent  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  life. 

The  soldier's  family  numbered  thirteen  children, 
and  as  his  pay  was  but  scanty,  it  may  be  supposed 
that  the  education  0^  each  of  its  members  could  not 
have  been  a  very  important  or  costly  affair.  In  short, 
we  have  another  story  to  add  to  those  already  told  of  a 

^  Mrs.  Bradburn  was  the  dautrhter  of  Samuel  Jones  of  Wrexham. 


52  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

life  of  singular  devotedness  and  usefulness  which  had  no 
fair  foundation  of  sound  and  thorough  education.  Brad- 
burn  himself  declares  that  he  went  to  school  for  only 
a  fortnight  during  his  twelve  years'  life  at  Gibraltar. 
The  fee  was  a  penny  a  week,  and  on  its  being  raised 
to  three  halfpence  the  boy  was  removed,  for  the  father's 
poor  pittance  would  not  allow  of  the  extra  strain  upon 
it  of  a  halfpenny  per  week.  And  so,  says  the  biogra- 
pher, almost  with  an  air  of  triumph,  "  the  education  of 
one  of  the  greatest  modern  pulpit  orators  cost  only 
twojpe7ice  !  " 

Bradburn's  father  appears  to  have  been  a  remark- 
ably thoughtful  and  exemplary  sort  of  man  for  a 
soldier,  in  those  days.  Though  he  never  united  with 
the  Methodists,  he  was  much  attached  to  them,  and 
had  derived  great  profit  from  their  preaching  at  the 
camp  in  Flanders.  His  children  were  brought  up  in 
a  strictly  religious  manner,  always  going  to  service  on 
Sunday,  and  being  compelled  to  read  a  daily  portion 
of  Scripture,  and  repeat  a  Scripture  lesson  from  week 
to  week.  According  to  his  light,  he  did  his  best  to 
bring  his  children  up  well ;  and  one  of  them,  at  all 
events,  profited  by  his  training,  for  Samuel  became 
very  thoughtful  and  serious,  and  was  accounted,  by  his 
neighbours,  one  of  the  best  boys  in  the  town. 

On  his  discharge  from  the  army  Bradburn  went  to 
live  in  the  old  city  from  which  he  had  been  so 
cruelly  carried  away  about  twenty- three  years  before. 
Samuel  was  then  nearly  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  a 
situation  was  soon  found  for  him  as  an  out-door 
apprentice  to  a  shoemaker,  to  whom  he  was  bound  for 
eight  years.  Brought  up  under  the  influence  of 
Methodism,   and   accustomed   to  listen  to  a   class   of 


SAMUEL  BRA DB URN.  53 

preachers  who  had  done  more  than  any  others  to 
awaken  and  keep  alive  the  flames  of  religious  revival 
and  zeal,  young  Bradburn's  mind  was  always  more  or 
less  under  the  influence  of  deep  religious  conviction. 
His  history,  as  a  youth,  presents  the  most  astonishing 
contrasts  of  relisfious  fervour  and  sinful  excess.  Yet 
his  worst  moods  did  not  last  long,  and,  however  far  he 
went  in  the  way  of  transgression,  his  consciousness 
of  the  evil  of  sin  never  left  him,  and  he  had  always 
sufficient  moral  sensibility  left  to  make  him  profoundly 
miserable  when  he  dared  to  reflect.  Acts  of  daring 
wickedness,  and  defiant  or  profane  language,  only 
served  as  a  cover  to  a  troubled  heart  and  a  restless 
conscience.  The  story  of  his  early  life,  with  its 
alternate  seriousness  and  folly,  anxiety  about  his 
soul's  welfare  and  mad  recklessness,  reads  wonderfully 
like  that  of  John  Bunyan.  How  like  the  records  of 
the  life  of  the  Bedford  tinker  are  these  entries  in  the 
diary  of  the  Chester  shoemaker  :  "  One  evening,  being 
exceedingly  cast  dow^n,  and  finding  an  uncommon 
weight  upon  my  spirits,  I  went  to  preaching,  and 
while  ]\Ir.  Guilford  was  describing  the  happiness  of 
the  righteous  in  glory,  my  heart  melted  like  wax 
before  the  fire.  In  a  moment  all  that  heaviness  was 
removed,  and  the  love  of  God  was  so  abundantly  shed 
abroad  in  my  lieart,  that  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
crying  out  in  the  preaching-house."  ..."  When 
preaching  was  over,  I  went  into  a  place  near  St. 
Martin's  Churchyard,  which  adjoined  the  preacliing- 
house,  and  there  I  poured  out  my  soul  before  the 
Lord  in  prayer  and  praise,  and  continued  rejoicing  in 
God  my  Saviour  most  of  the  night."  He  was  then 
less  than  fourteen  years  of  age ;  his  companions  at  the 


54  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

■work-room  were  of  a  godless  sort,  and  after  a  few 
months'  enjoyment  of  mental  peace  and  joy,  their 
injurious  influence  began  to  tell  upon  him.  By 
degrees  he  abandoned  his  prayerful  habits,  and  surren- 
dered himself  to  the  power  of  evil,  until  at  length  he 
"  became  acquainted  with  the  vilest  of  the  vile,"  and 
imbibed  their  spirit  and  followed  their  example.  To 
what  depths  he  sank  the  following  sentences  from  his 
diary  will  show : — "  It  is  impossible  to  express  the 
feelings  of  my  mind,  on  some  occasions  during  this 
apostasy  from  God;  especially  once,  when  one  of  the 
greatest  reprobates  I  ever  knew  was  constrained  to 
own  that  he  was  shocked  to  hear  me  swear  such  oaths 
as  I  often  did.^  .  .  .  Eor  a  moment  I  felt  a  degree  of 
compunction,  but  gave  away  to  despair  and  drowned 
the  conviction."  The  reproof  which  Bunyan  received 
under  similar  circumstances  led  him  to  drop  the  prac- 
tice of  swearing ;  but  Bradburn  went  on  in  his  evil 
ways  as  resolutely  as  ever.  For  several  years  he  seems 
to  have  led  a  reckless  life,  joining  in  vicious  company, 
indulging  a  passion  for  "  gaming,"  or  gambling,  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  would  even  go  to  bed  and  rise  and 
dress  again  when  the  rest  of  the  household  were  asleep, 
in  order  to  go  out  through  the  window  and  join  his 
gambling  and  betting  companions.  At  last  he  became 
so  enamoured  of  sinful  follies  that  he  snatched  the 


^  This  incident  will  remind  readers  of  the  following  account  given 
by  Bunyan  of  a  similar  incident  in  his  early  life.  "  One  day,  as  I  was 
standing  at  my  neighbour's  shop- window,  and  there  cursing  and  swear- 
ing, after  my  wonted  manner,  there  sate  within  the  woman  of  the 
bouse  and  heard  me,  who,  though  she  was  a  loose  and  ungodly  wretch, 
protested  that  I  cursed  and  swore  at  such  a  rate  that  she  trembled 
to  hear  me.  .  .  .  At  this  reproof  I  was  silenced  and  put  to  secret 
shame,  and  that  too,  as  I  thought,  before  the  God  of  heaven." 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  55 

opportunity,  which  a  few  words  of  complaint  from  his 
father  afforded,  to  take  ofience  and  leave  home,  "  in 
order  to  go  and  lodge  with  some  abandoned  young  men, 
in  order  to  have  his  full  swing  without  being  curbed 
by  any  one."  His  wages  were  but  small,  and  as  he 
took  half  of  them  home  he  had  but  a  small  pittance  to 
live  upon :  yet  such  was  his  craze  at  tliis  time  for  bad 
company  and  "  gaming,"  that  he  lived  often  for  two 
days  on  a  penny  loaf,  and  went  in  rags  rather  than 
confess  his  error  to  his  parents  and  ask  their  aid.  One 
good  quality  kept  him  from  utter  ruin  at  this  time,  and 
it  seems  to  have  been  the  only  one  that  remained  in  a 
lively  state.  He  speaks  of  "  the  affection  he  had  for 
his  mother,  whom  he  still  loved  as  his  own  soul."  He 
could  not  endure  her  tears  and  tender  reproofs,  and  left 
his  home  in  order  that  he  might  not  have  to  suffer  the 
constant  reproach  of  her  good  character  and  loving 
entreaties.  To  such  lengths  will  a  passion  for  sinful 
amusements  drive  even  a  youth  of  sensitive  nature  and 
generous  disposition.  Nothing  can  be  more  deplorable 
than  the  account  he  gives  of  his  sinful  infatuation  at 
this  the  worst  period  of  his  youthful  career.  "  I  spent 
almost  a  twelvemonth  in  this  truly  pitiable  way  of  life, 
and  during  that  time  do  not  remember  enjoying  one 
satisfactory  moment.  My  clothes  were  now  almost 
worn  out,  and  my  wages  were  not  sufficient  to  supply 
me  with  more  ;  yet,  such  was  my  folly,  I  still  persisted 
in  the  same  way,  glorying  even  in  my  shame,  till  my 
life  seemed  nearly  finished,  and  the  measure  of  my 
iniquity  almost  full ;  and,  to  all  appearance,  there  was 
but  a  step  betwixt  me  and  everlasting  death." 

At  eighteen  years  of  age  this  miserable  course  of  sin 
came  to  an  end.      Bradburn  was  led  "  by  the  hand  of 


56  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Providence  to  Tvork  in  the  house  of  a  Methodist."  He 
had  about  this  time,  also,  become  so  weak  and  ailing 
in  health,  as  the  result  of  his  pernicious  habits,  that  he 
was  compelled  to  yield  to  his  parents'  entreaties  to  go 
and  live  at  home.  Good  example,  kind  words,  and 
wise  counsel,  combined  with  the  beneficial  effects  of 
separation  from  his  old  companions,  soon  began  to  tell 
upon  his  conscience.  As  might  be  expected,  the  sense 
of  sin,  when  once  it  was  awakened  in  him,  was  most 
intense.  It  was  no  wonder  that  such  a  youth  as  Samuel 
Bradburn  should  have  "  experiences  "  which  men  of  a 
milder  temperament  are  strangers  to,  and  cannot  per- 
haps appreciate.  After  he  had  mused  for  a  time,  and 
thought  upon  his  ways,  he  became  suddenly,  and,  as  it 
seemed  then,  most  unaccountably  convinced  of  sin,  and 
led  to  cherish  the  most  anxious  concern  to  find  peace 
with  God.  "  One  evening,"  he  writes  in  his  diary,  "  at 
the  close  of  the  year  1769,  while  I  was  making  a  few 
cursory  remarks  on  the  season,  and  looking  at  some 
decayed  flowers  in  a  garden  adjoining  the  house  I 
worked  in,  I  was  suddenly  carried,  as  it  were,  out  of 
myself  with  the  thought  of  death  and  eternity.  .  .  . 
My  sins  were  set  as  in  battle  array  before  me,  particu- 
larly that  of  ingratitude  to  a  good  and  gracious  God. 
This  caused  my  very  bones  to  tremble,  and  my  soul  to 
be  horribly  afraid.  Hell  from  beneath  seemed  moved 
to  meet  me.  ,  .  .  The  effects  of  those  convictions  were 
such  that  I  could  scarcely  reach  home,  though  but  a 
little  way  off.  I  went  to  bed,  but  found  no  rest.  I 
sunk  under  the  weight  of  my  distress,  gave  myself  up 
to  despair,  and  for  some  time  lost  the  use  of  my  rea- 
son." For  several  days  the  poor  sin-stricken  youth 
lay  as  if  in  a  high  fever,  and  raved  of  judgment  and 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  57 

perdition.  It  was  three  months  ere  he  entered  into  a 
state  of  quiet,  firm,  intelligent.  Christian  faith,  bringing 
peace  and  rest  to  his  mind.  His  excellent  and  godly 
master  helped  him  somewhat  during  this  long  and  ter- 
rible struggle  in  the  "  slough  of  despond."  Several 
"  evangelists,"  in  the  character  of  gospel  ministers, 
pointed  out  the  way  of  life  to  him,  but  they  were  not 
of  so  much  service  as  might  have  been  expected.  A 
"  roll  which  he  carried  in  his  hand,"  on  which  was 
written,  "  The  Door  of  Salvation  Opened  by  the  Key  of 
Eegeneration,"  was  of  great  value  in  showing  the  way 
to  the  blessedness  he  sought.  In  fact,  it  was  during 
the  reading  of  this  little  treatise  on  the  life  of  iaith  that 
his  spirit  first  seemed  to  hear  the  divine  words,  "  Peace, 
he  still."  There  could  be  no  mistake  about  the  young 
shoemaker's  conversion.  Account  for  it  as  men  might, 
the  change  was  marvellous,  and  infinitely  beneficial,  as 
we  shall  see,  no  less  to  his  neighbours  than  to  himself; 
for  Samuel  Bradburn  was  intensely  social,  and  bound 
to  influence  his  friends  in  one  way  or  another,  as  well 
as  to  be  influenced  by  them.  It  was  impossible  for 
him  to  remain  inactive  when  a  great  impulse  moved 
within  him.  The  desire  to  go  out  and  speak  of  the  joy 
he  had  found,  and  the  means  by  which  he  had  found 
it,  soon  became  a  ruling  passion.  It  is  the  desire 
which  makes  the  philanthropist,  the  preacher,  the 
missionary.  The  language  in  which  he  attempts  to 
describe  that  indescribable  joy  of  the  renewed  heart  is 
but  another  reading  of  the  old  gospel  truth :  "  If  any 
man  be  in  Christ  he  is  a  new  creature :  old  things  are 
passed  away ;  behold,  all  things  are  become  new." 
Alluding  to  the  reading  of  the  little  book  above  meu- 

^  2  Cor.  V.  17. 


S8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

tioued,  lie  says  :  "  Such  an  unspeakable  power  accom- 
panied the  words  to  my  soul,  that,  being  unable  to 
control  myself,  I  rose  from  my  seat  and  went  into  the 
garden,  where  I  had  spent  many  a  melancholy  hour ; 
but,  oh,  how  changed  now !  Instead  of  terror  and 
despair  I  felt  my  heart  overflowing  with  joy,  and  my 
eyes  with  grateful  tears.  My  soul  was  in  such  an 
ecstasy  that  my  poor  emaciated  body  was  as  strong  and 
active  as  I  ever  remember  it,  and  not  at  that  time  only, 
for  the  strength  and  activity  remained.  I  had  now  no 
fear  of  death,  but  rather  longed  to  die,  knowing  that 
the  blessed  Jesus  was  oiiy  Saviour ;  that  God  was  recon- 
ciled to  me  through  Him ;  that  nothing  but  the  thread 
of  life  kept  me  from  His  glorious  presence.  Now 
the  whole  creation  wore  a  different  aspect.  The  stars 
which  shone  exceeding  bright  appeared  more  glorious 
than  before.  Such  was  my  happy  frame  that  I  ima- 
gined myself  in  the  company  of  the  holy  angels,  who, 
I  believed,  were  made  more  happy  on  my  account,  and 
doubtless  those  ministering  spirits  did  feel  new  degrees 
of  joy  on  seeing  so  vile  a  sinner,  so  wretched  a  prodi- 
gal, come  home  to  the  arms  of  his  heavenly  Father.^ 

0  Thou  eternal  God  ! "  he  exclaims,  "  Thou  transporting 
delight  of  my  soul !  preserve  and  support  me  through 
life,  that  I  may  at  last  enjoy  the  heaven  of  love  which 

1  then  felt  overpowering  my  spirit." 

Bradburn  at  once  joined  the  Methodist  Society  at 
Chester.  His  master's  son,  a  boy  of  twelve,  and  many 
other  young  people,  began  to  attend  the  "  class-meet- 
ings "  about  the  same  time.  Among  his  work-fellows, 
also,  there  were  some  who  rejoiced  in  the  light  which 

^  There  was  surely  a  Scriptural  reason  for  this  feeling.     See  Luke 
XV.  7,  lo,  and  Heb.  i.  15. 


SAMUEL  BRA DB URN.  59 

now  filled  young  Bradburn's  soul,  and  their  conversa- 
tion and  hymn-singing  while  at  work,  and  their  union 
in  prayer  before  quitting  the  workroom  at  the  close  of 
the  day,  made  the  new  time  a  perpetual  Sabbath,  and 
the  shoemaker's  room  "  a  perfect  paradise."  In  March 
1770,  after  the  usual  period  of  probation,  he  was 
admitted  to  full  membership,  and  received  what  the 
Methodists  call  "  his  first  ticket."  He  was  not  long 
in  discovering,  as  every  one  else  has  done  in  similar 
circumstances,  that  the  change,  though  genuine,  was 
not  complete.  An  outburst  of  passion,  and  a  grow- 
ing desire  after  disputation  on  theological  matters,  in 
which  he  found  himself  couteudiug  for  mastery  rather 
than  truth,  gave  him  to  see  that  a  sound  and  secure 
religious  character  is  a  matter  of  growth  and  cul- 
ture, and  can  only  be  maintained  by  watchfulness  and 
prayer,  and  the  careful  formation  of  habits  of  piety. 
And  as  Thomas  a  Kempis  finely  says,  "  Custom  is 
overcome  by  custom,"  so  Bradburn  found  it,  and  in 
order  to  put  a  bar  between  his  spirit  and  possible 
temptations,  changed  his  way  of  living,  his  companions, 
and  his  hooks.  One  day,  when  John  Wesley  was 
administering  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  little  chapel  at 
Chester,  Bradburn  was  seized  with  the  idea  that  he 
must  become  a  preacher.  For  a  long  time  he  strove 
hard  to  drive  it  from  his  mind.  But  the  more  he  did 
so  the  more  it  seemed  to  possess  him.  His  sense  of 
unfitness  for  so  great  an  office  as  that  of  the  preacher, 
his  exalted  notions  of  the  sacredness  and  responsibility 
attaching  to  the  office,  and  his  own  deepening  con- 
viction, which  nothing  could  resist,  that  it  was  his  duty 
before  God  to  devote  himself  to  the  work,  made  him 
for  a  time  positively  wretched.     He  tried  the  effect 


6o  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

of  change  of  residence  upon  his  feelings  in  the  matter. 
He  was  now  twenty  years  of  age,  and  out  of  his  time. 
But  on  visiting  his  relations  at  Wrexham,  he  found 
that  they  and  their  friends  of  the  Wesleyan  Society,  to 
whom  he  was  introduced,  had  a  common  feeling  that 
such  a  young  man  ought  surely  to  exercise  his  gifts  as 
a  speaker.  In  answer  to  their  entreaties  he  spoke 
several  times  in  their  meetings,  and  thus  made  his 
first  start  in  public  speaking.  Still  the  question  of 
preaching  was  left  unsettled,  and  disturbed  his  mind 
night  and  day.  It  became  a  positive  burden  to  him — 
"  the  burden  of  the  Lord,"  indeed,  and  no  power  of 
his  own  could  remove  it.  Six  months  after  this  brief 
visit  to  Wrexham,  he  obtained  a  situation,  and  went 
to  reside  in  Liverpool,  where  he  fell  in  with  people 
much  to  his  mind,  who  were  exceedingly  kind  to  him. 
"  They,  however,  no  sooner  came  to  know  him  than 
their  opinion  was  strongly  expressed  to  the  same  pur- 
port as  that  of  his  friends  in  Chester  and  Wrexham. 
In  four  months  he  left  Liverpool  and  returned  home, 
the  great  life-question  still  upon  his  mind.  He  dare 
not  settle  it,  in  one  way  or  the  other;  all  he  could  do 
was  to  resolve  to  live  as  near  to  God  as  possible, 
commit  his  way  unto  Him,  and  submissively  wait  for 
the  direction  of  Divine  providence.  In  this  condition 
of  mind  he  passed  the  rest  of  the  year  1772.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  following  year  he  found  employ- 
ment at  Wrexham,  and  there  took  up  his  abode  in 
the  congenial  society  of  his  relations  and  religious 
friends.  Soon  after  this  the  event  occurred  which 
decided  the  severe  and  agonising  mental  struggle  to 
which  he  had  been  subjected  for  the  last  twelve 
months,  and  determined  the  whole  course  of  his  life, 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  6i 

and  the  employment  of  his  rare  gifts  as  a  preacher 
of  the  Gospel.  Ou  Sunday,  February  7,  1773,  the 
preacher  for  the  day  failed  to  appear.  Young  Brad- 
burn  was  invited  by  the  leaders  of  the  congregation  to 
take  the  service.  Trembling  from  head  to  foot,  almost 
blind  vi^ith  fear  and  excitement,  and  casting  himself  on 
divine  aid,  he  mounts  the  pulpit  stairs.  The  opening 
part  of  the  service  gives  him  confidence,  and  when 
the  time  for  preaching  comes,  he  is  able  to  speak  with 
much  freedom  and  fervour  to  an  appreciative  and 
thankful  audience.  In  the  evening  he  is  once  more 
asked  to  occupy  the  pulpit,  and  this  time  he  delivers 
a  discourse  which  is  not  too  long  for  the  hearers, 
though  it  lasts  for  more  than  two  hours.  The  next 
week  he  preaches  to  the  same  people  three  times  ;  and 
now  the  question  is  settled,  and  settled,  as  he  and  his 
friends  are  fain  to  believe,  in  a  providential  way  : 
Samuel  Bradburn  is  called  to  he  a  preacher,  and  a 
preacher  of  no  ordinary  power.  He  has  not  waited 
all  these  long  months  for  nothing.  He  has  not  run 
before  he  was  sent.  He  has  not  tarried  in  the  desert 
like  Moses,  like  Elijah,  like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  to  learn 
the  truth  and  will  of  God,  with  no  beneficial  results. 
He  has  been  called  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  work, 
and  to  the  work  of  preaching  he  must  now  give 
himself  and  his  very  best  powers,  or  a  woe  will  rest 
upon  him.  He  and  his  Methodist  friends  would  not 
trouble  themselves  for  one  moment  about  the  question 
of  his  being  a  shoemaker,  or  remaining  a  shoemaker, 
if  he  is  to  become  a  preacher.  One  apostolic  prece- 
dent was  as  good  as  twelve  to  them  in  a  matter  of 
this  kind,  and  Paul  did  not  cease  to  be  a  tent-maker 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  said  to  the  church  at  Antioch, 


62  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"  Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  to  the  work  where- 
Tinto  I  have  called  them."  ^ 

Soon  after  the  events  just  referred  to,  Bradburn 
resolved  to  go  and  see  the  Kev.  John  Fletcher,  Vicar 
of  Madeley  in  Shropshire,  the  friend  of  Lady  Hunting- 
don, and  Benson,  and  John  Wesley.  Fletcher  had  a 
reputation  for  piety  and  usefulness  which  few  men  in 
his  day  could  equal  and  none  surpass.  He  was  a 
great  favourite  with  the  followers  of  John  Wesley,  not 
alone  because  of  his  friendship  with  their  leader,  but 
on  account  of  his  saintly  life,  his  evangelistic  zeal, 
and  his  rare  catholicity  of  spirit.  None  worked  more 
faithfully  and  diligently  than  he  at  the  College  of 
Trevecca  in  Wales,  of  which  he  was  for  several  years 
the  president.  Yet  he  received  no  emolument  for  his 
labours.  "  Fletcher  was  no  pluralist,  for  he  did  his 
work  at  Trevecca  without  fee  or  reward,  from  the  sole 
motive  of  being  useful."  ^  It  is  said  of  his  apostolic 
work  at  Madeley,  that  "  the  parish,  containing  a  de- 
graded, ignorant,  and  vicious  population  employed  in 
mines  and  iron  works,  became,  under  his  diligent 
Christian  culture,  a  thoroughly  different  place.  His 
public  discourses,  his  pastoral  conversations,  his  cate- 
chising of  the  young,  his  reproofs  to  the  wicked,  his 
encouragements  to  the  penitent,  his  accessibility  at  all 
hours,  his  readiness  to  go  out  in  the  coldest  night  and 
the  deepest  snow  to  see  the  sick  or  the  sorrowing,  his 
establishment  of  schools,  and  his  personal  efforts  in 
promoting  their  prosperity — in  short,  his  almost  un- 
rivalled efforts  in  all  kinds  of  ministerial  activity, 
have   thrown   around    Madeley  beautiful  associations 

'  Acts  xiii.  2. 

'  See  Benson's  "  Life  of  Fletcher." 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  63 

not  to  be  matched  by  the  hills  and  hanging  woods 
which  adorn  that  hive  of  industry."^  Bradburn  was 
lovingly  received  at  the  Madeley  vicarage,  stayed  for 
several  days  with  the  family,  and  preached  in  one  of 
the  rooms  of  the  house  to  a  congregation  of  villagers. 
If  Fletcher  could  not  ask  his  shoemaker  friend  to 
officiate  in  the  church,  seeing  that  he  had  taken  no 
holy  orders,  the  good  vicar  had  no  difficulty  or  scruple 
in  regard  to  his  guest's  preaching  the  gospel  in  the 
house.  On  leaving,  young  Bradburn  carried  away,  as 
a  precious  treasure  of  the  heart,  a  deep  sense  of 
Fletcher's  holy  character,  and  never  forgot  the  good 
man's  characteristic  remark,  "  If  you  should  live  to 
preach  the  gospel  forty  years,  and  be  the  instrument 
of  saving  only  one  soul,  it  will  be  worth  all  your 
labour."  Pieturning  home,  he  went  on  with  his  work 
as  a  shoemaker,  preaching  on  Sundays  in  the  chapels 
at  Flint,  Mold,  Wrexham,  &c.,  until  the  beginning  of 
the  following  year,  when  he  went  to  reside  with  friends 
at  Liverpool.  Here  his  preaching  was  so  much  enjoyed 
by  the  congregations  of  the  "  circuit "  that  he  was 
pressed  to  stay  and  minister  to  them  till  July,  when 
it  was  hoped  that  some  arrangement  might  be  made 
by  the  Conference  in  London  by  which  he  would  be 
permanently  and  officially  appointed  to  labour  amongst 
them.  Although  he  had  become  somewhat  jjopular 
by  this  time,  and  was  warmly  welcomed  wherever  he 
went  on  account  of  his  earnestness  and  rough  eloquence, 
he  was  sometimes  regarded  with  distrust  because  of 
his  youthful  and  unclerical  appearance  and  manner. 
One  good  man,  who  generally  entertained  the  preacher 

1  "  Religion  in  England  under  Queen  Anne  and  the  Georges."     By 
John  StoughtoD,  D.D.,  vol.  ii.  pp.  158,  159.     Hodder  &  Stoughton. 


64  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

on  his  visits,  was  so  annoyed  at  the  sight  of  "  a  mere 
lad"  "  travelling  the  circuit,  that  he  sent  young  Brad- 
burn  to  take  his  meals  and  sleep  in  the  garret  with 
the  apprentices."  After  the  morning  sermon,  however, 
which  surprised  and  delighted  all  who  heard  it,  "  he 
was  judged  worthy  to  sit  in  the  preacher's  chair "  at 
the  table  of  his  host,  and  at  night  was  allowed  to 
sleep  in  the  "  prophet's  chamber."  In  September  of 
that  year  he  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  himself 
appointed  by  the  Conference  as  a  regular  "  travelling 
preacher  on  the  Liverpool  circuit."  It  was  about  this 
time  he  had  his  first  interview  with  John  Wesley. 
The  veteran  evangelist's  simple  and  kindly  manner 
affected  the  young  preacher  deeply,  and  his  advice 
was  wonderfully  like  him :  "  Beware,"  said  Wesley, 
holding  young  Bradburn  by  the  hand,  "  beware  of  the 
fear  of  man ;  and  be  sure  you  speak  flat  and  plain  in 
preaching." 

In  these  early  days  of  Methodism,  when  the  deno- 
mination was  undergoing  the  process  of  rapid  growth, 
it  was  impossible  to  wait  for  men,  to  meet  the  urgent 
need  of  the  churches,  who  had  gone  through  a  regular 
process  of  ministerial  education  and  training.  Such  as 
had  the  requisite  character  and  the  gift  of  speech  were 
"  called  out"  and  placed  over  churches  in  a  manner  that 
would  not  have  been  tolerated  in  later  times,  when  col- 
leges had  come  to  be  established.  Yet  the  work  done  by 
men  of  Bradburn's  stamp  was  genuinely  apostolic,  and 
served,  under  the  divine  blessing,  to  lay  broad  and  deep 
the  foundations  of  that  Wesleyan  denomination  which, 
in  the  present  day,  yields  to  none  of  the  so-called  "sects" 
in  the  culture  and  moral  power  of  its  ministry.  It  is 
not  to  be  supposed  that  the  fluent  young  shoemaker 


SAMUEL  BRA DB URN.  65 

was  insensible  to  his  need  of  education.  Tlie  first 
year's  work  in  Lancashire  taxed  his  mental  resources 
severely,  and  set  him  wondering  many  times  whether 
he  should  be  able  to  go  on  preparing  new  sermons  in 
order  to  preach  repeatedly  to  the  same  congregation. 
It  was  consequently  an  immense  relief  to  him  when 
the  year  came  to  an  end,  and  he  found  that  the  Con- 
ference at  Leeds  had  set  him  down  for  an  entirely  new 
field  of  labour,  at  Pembroke,  in  South  Wales.^  Brad- 
burn  felt  his  poverty  in  more  ways  than  one.  Wes- 
leyan  ministers  were  then  but  poorly  paid,  and  men  of 
his  generous  character,  who  found  it  easier  to  give  to 
the  needy  than  to  economise  and  save,  were  often  in 
great  straits  for  funds.  On  his  way  down  to  Pembroke 
he  was  reduced  to  his  last  sliilling,  and,  but  for  his 
meeting  with  Wesley  at  Brecon,  might  have  found  it 
an  awkward  matter  to  reach  his  destination.  "  Apply 
to  me  when  you  want  help,"  said  Wesley  to  his  friend, 
and  very  soon  proved  his  sincerity  by  prompt  assist- 
ance when  the  young  pastor  made  known  his  straitened 
circumstances.  The  following  story  is  too  good  to  be 
omitted.  In  reply  to  Bradburn's  appeal  Wesley  sent 
the  following  short  letter,  enclosing  several  five-pound 
notes : — 

"  Dear  Sammy, — Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good ;  so  shalt 
thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed. — Yours 
aifectionatuly,  John  AVbsley." 

To  which  Bradburn  replied — 


^  Bradburn's  mother  died  during  his  first  year's  ministry.  In  con- 
nection with  this  event  he  mentions  a  circumstance  which  enabled  him 
to  be  resigned  to  the  bereavement,  and  which  many  readers  will  regard 
with  unusual  interest.     "  God  spared  her  life,  nearly  twelve  years,  in 

£ 


66  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, — I  have  often  been  struck  with  the 
beauty  of  the  passage  of  Scripture  quoted  in  your  letter,  but 
I  must  confess  that  I  never  saw  such  useful  expository  notes 
upon  it  before. — I  am,  Eev.  and  dear  Sir,  your  obedient  and 
grateful  servant,  S.  Bbadburn." 

The  year  spent  in  South  Wales  was  happy  and  pros- 
perous, and  the  churches  at  Pembroke,  Haverfordwest, 
and  Carmarthen  were  greatly  increased  and  well  organ- 
ised under  the  care  of  Bradburn  and  his  colleague.  By 
the  Conference  in  1776  he  was  sent  to  Limerick,  and 
from  thence,  in  four  months,  such  was  the  severity  of 
the  strain  upon  his  health,  he  was  removed  to  Dublin. 
Here  he  had  met,  on  first  landing  in  Ireland,  with  the 
young  lady  who  was  afterwards  to  become  his  wife. 
It  was  a  case  of  "  mutual  admiration  "  and  "  love  at 
first  sight."  Bradburn  was  a  passionate  lover,  and 
could  ill  brook  the  delay  of  two  years  which  had  to 
pass  away  before  he  took  the  beautiful  Miss  ISTangle  to 
his  own  home.  In  one  of  his  anxious  moods,  when 
sick  of  love  and  hope  deferred,  he  rose  from  his  sleep- 
less bed  to  pray  for  divine  guidance  and  favour  in 
regard  to  the  serious  business  of  courtship.  It  was 
his  custom  to  pray  aloud,  and  supposing  his  colleague, 
who  occupied  the  same  bed,  to  be  fast  asleep,  he  did 
not  balk  his  prayer  in  this  instance,  finishing  a  fervent 
appeal  for  divine  direction  with  the  simple  words, 
"  But,  Lord,  let  it  be  Betsey."  His  bedfellow  humor- 
ously responded,  "  Amen,"  and  broke  out  into  a  hearty 
laugh  at  poor  Bradburn's  expense.     John  Wesley,  who 

answer  to  a  prayer  which  I  offered  up  when  she  seemed  to  be  dying,  in 
which  I  begged  that  she  might  live  twelve  years  exactly.  I  was  then 
very  young,  and  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  losing  her,  but  imagined 
I  should  be  able  to  part  with  her  after  those  years." 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  67 

favoured  the  match,  and  generously  interceded  in  his 
friend's  behalf,  both  with  a  much- dreaded  stepmother 
and  the  fair  one  herself,  conducted  the  marriage  cere- 
mony in  the  house  of  a  friend.  He  had  invited  the 
bride  and  bridegroom-elect,  and  Mrs.  Karr  the  step- 
mother, "  to  breakfast  with  him  at  Mrs.  King's,^  the 
morning  after  his  arrival,  being  his  birthday ;  as  soon 
as  she  (Mrs.  Karr)  entered  he  began  the  ceremony  and 
married  us  in  the  parlour.  Pride  would  not  let  her 
affront  Mr.  Wesley,  and  she  was  forced  to  appear  satis- 
fied." "  Wesley,"  says  Bradburn's  biographer,"  "  more 
than  once  took  up  cudgels  for  his  preachers  when  in 
difficulties  of  this  kind,  but  not  in  such  a  summary 
manner." 

Eelegated  to  the  Cork  and  Bandon  circuit,  he  had  a 
very  trying  time  of  it  for  about  a  year.  One  of  his 
memoranda  made  at  this  time  gives  us  a  glimpse  of 
his  acquirements  from  his  own  common-sense  point  of 
view,  for  Bradburn  was  a  thoroughly  sensible  and 
humble  man,  who  never  yielded  to  ignorant  flattery  of 
his  pulpit  eloquence,  nor  gave  way,  as  some  self-made 
men  aud  popular  preachers  have  done,  to  vanity  and 
conceit.  Self-examination  was  with  him  a  genuine 
business,  conducted  in  a  reverent  spirit  aud  an  honest 
and  altogether  healthy  fashion.  By  this  means  he  came 
to  know  himself  and  act  accordingly.  Not  many  men 
in  his  position  would  have  written  so  sensibly  as 
this:  "Cork,  March  31  (1779). — I  have  read  and 
written   much  this   month,   but  sadly  feel   the  want 

1  Bradburn's  lodgings. 

2  "Life  of  Samuel  Bradburn."  ByT.  W.  Blanshard.  P.  68.  Elliot 
Stock,  1870.  A  most  interesting  biography  of  the  famous  Weslej-an 
preacher. 


68  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

of  a  friend  to  direct  my  studies.  All  with  whom  I 
l^.ave  any  intimacy,  know  nothing  of  my  meaning 
when  I  speak  of  my  ignorance.  They  praise  my 
sermons,  and  consider  me  a  prodigy  of  learning ;  and 
yet  what  do  I  know  ?  a  little  Latin,  a  little  philosophy, 
history,  divinity,  and  a  little  of  many  things,  all  of 
which  serves  to  convince  me  of  my  own  ignorance  ! " 
At  this  time,  and  for  many  years  after,  he  preached 
forty  sermons  a  month,  and  sometimes  fifty.  Even  if 
they  were  all  old  sermons,  which  would  not  often  be 
the  case,  how  could  a  man  so  employed  find  time  or 
energy  for  close  and  continuous  study  ?  The  next 
four  years  are  spent  at  Keighley,  Bradford,  and  Leeds 
in  Yorkshire.^  When  at  Keighley  he  "  travelled  "  for  a 
time  with  Wesley,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  observing 
the  way  in  which  that  sainted  man  wholly  devoted 
his  gifts,  his  time,  and  his  money,  to  the  service  of 
God  and  his  fellow-men.  Wesley's  stipend  from  the 
Society  in  London  was  ;^30  a  year,  but  the  sale  of 
books,  the  generosity  of  the  friends  at  Bristol,  and 
occasional  preaching  fees  and  sundry  legacies,  brought 
his  yearly  income  up  to  ;^iooo  or  i^  1200;  yet  he 
rarely  spent  more  for  himself  than  his  meagre  stipend, 
and  regularly  gave  away  all  the  rest.  "  Thus  literally 
having  nothing,  he  possessed  all  things ;  and  though 
poor,  he  made  many  rich."  ^  At  Leeds,  Bradburn  was 
offered  the  pastorate  of  an  Independent  Church  with  a 
"reatly  increased  salary,  but  the  loyal  Methodist 
refused  the  tempting  offer.  His  next  appointment 
was  to  Bristol,  where  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
his  darling  Betsey,  who  died  of  decline  in  her  twenty- 
ninth   year.      His    colleague    had    suffered   a   similar 

^  Bradburn's  Life,  see  above,  p.  85,  86. 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  69 

bereavement,  and  the  stern  yet  tender-hearted  Wesley, 
then  in  his  eighty-third  year,  actually  set  off  from 
London  "  in  the  driven  snow  "  to  go  down  to  Bristol 
and  comfort  the  two  sorrowing  preachers.  Bradburn 
did  not  long  remain  a  widower.  At  Gloucester  he 
met  Sophia  Cooke,  "  the  pious  and  godly "  Methodist 
to  whom  Eobert  Eaikes  of  Sunday- School  fame  had 
spoken  about  the  poor  children  in  the  streets,  and 
asked  her,  "  What  can  we  do  for  them  ? "  Miss  Cooke 
replied,  "  Let  us  teach  them,  and  take  them  to 
church !  "  The  hint  was  acted  upon,  and  Eaikes  and 
Miss  Cooke  "  conducted  the  first  company  of  Sunday 
scholars  to  the  church,  exposed  to  the  comments  and 
laughter  of  the  populace,  as  they  passed  along  with 
their  ragged  procession."  A  better  wife  for  the  earnest 
Methodist  preacher  could  not  have  been  found  than 
the  woman  who  thus  showed  her  good  sense,  her  piety, 
and  her  courage,  in  starting  the  Sunday-School  move- 
ment. In  1786  Wesley  showed  his  appreciation  of 
Bradburn's  excellent  qualities  by  getting  him  appointeil 
to  the  London  Circuit  in  order  to  have  his  assistance  in 
superintending  the  affairs  of  the  connexion.  Here 
he  met  with  Charles  Wesley,  and,  at  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1788,  Bradburn  stood  by  the  dying  man's  bed 
offering  up  earnest  prayer  for  him,  and  calling  to  his 
mind  the  truths  of  that  Gospel  which  he  had  done  so 
much  to  spread  throughout  the  world  by  his  unrivalled 
hymns.  John  Wesley  himself  died  three  years  after- 
wards, 2nd  March  1791,  and  Bradburn,  then  at 
Manchester,  published  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "A  Sketch 
of  Mr.  Wesley  s  Character,"  in  which  he  gave  a  most 
interesting  epitome  of  the  chief  points  in  the  history 
and  labours  of  his  father  in  the  Gospel.      Bradburn^ 


70  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

now  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  foremost  men  in  the 
connexion,  united  with  eight  others  in  issuing  a 
circular  giving  an  outline  of  policy  for  the  guidance 
of  the  Conference  at  its  next  session.  The  utmost 
care  and  wisdom  were  needed  in  order  to  keep  the 
various  elements  of  Methodism  together ;  and  few  men 
in  those  days  were  more  conspicuous  and  useful  than 
Bradburn  in  guiding  the  counsels  of  the  assembled 
ministers.  He  was  elected  to  preach  before  the  Con- 
lerence  at  its  next  session  in  Manchester,  and  so 
moved  his  audience  by  his  impassioned  appeal  for 
unity  and  loyalty  to  the  good  cause  that  had  now  lost 
its  earthly  leader,  that  all  in  the  chapel  rose  to  their 
feet  in  response  to  his  stimulating  words.  In  1796, 
when  stationed  at  Bath,  he  was  made  secretary  of  the 
Conference,  and  held  the  office  three  years  in  succession. 
In  1799  his  brethren  showed  their  esteem  for  him  by 
choosing  him  as  President,  and  thus  giving  him  the 
highest  honour  which  they  had  it  in  their  power  to 
bestow. 

Among  Methodists  Bradburn  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  and  powerful  preachers  the  denomina- 
tion has  produced.  He  had  all  the  natural  gifts  of  a 
great  orator,  and  these,  combined  with  fervent  piety 
and  a  single  and  lofty  purpose  in  preaching,  invested 
his  discourses  with  a  charm  and  an  influence  rarely 
wielded  by  public  speakers.  "  Possessed  of  a  com- 
manding figure,  dignified  carriage,  graceful  action, 
mellow  voice,  ready  utterance,  correct  ear,  exuberant 
imagination,  an  astonishing  memory,  and  an  extensive 
acquaintance  with  his  mother  tongue,  he  could  move 
an  assembly  as  the  summer  breeze  stirs  the  standing 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  71 

coru."^  This  elocutionary  power  was  not  gained  with- 
out much  care  and  diligent  labour.  He  was  a  hard 
reader,  and  a  most  painstaking  sermoniser,  for  though 
he  never  used  the  manuscript  in  the  pulpit  but  preached 
extempore,  after  the  fashion  of  the  times,  he  neverthe- 
less prepared  his  discourses  with  great  skill  and  labour. 
The  following  sentences  from  his  biography  will  suffi- 
ciently illustrate  this  point.^  "  His  own  bold,  easy, 
and  correct  English  was  such  as  no  man  acquires 
without  perseverance  in  a  right  use  of  means.  His 
diligence  may  be  inferred  from  one  of  his  reported 
sayings  on  leaving  Manchester — that  he  had  twelve 
hundred  outlines  of  sermons  untouched  (not  used  in 
preacliing  in  the  circuit)  at  the  end  of  three  years' 
ministrations.  The  result  of  such  endowments,  im- 
proved, with  such  assiduity,  amidst  all  the  hindrances 
and  discouragements  of  a  laborious  and  harassing 
vocation,  was,  that  to  be  comprehensive  and  lucid  in 
arrangement ;  beautifully  clear  in  statement  or  exposi- 
tion ;  weighty,  nervous,  and  acute  in  argumentation ; 
copious,  various,  and  interesting  in  illustration ;  over- 
whelming in  pathos ;  to  wield  at  will  the  ludicrous  or 
the  tender,  the  animating,  the  sublime,  or  the  terrible  ; 
seems  to  have  been  habitually  in  his  power."  The 
Eev.  Eichard  Watson,  author  of  the  "  Institutes," 
"  walked  twenty  miles  to  hear  the  far-famed  Mr. 
Bradburn  preach;  and  he  never  lost  the  impression 
which  that  distinguished  orator  produced."  Watson 
thus  describes  his  impressions : — "  I  am  not  a  very 
excitable  subject,  but  Mr.  Bradburn's  preaching  affected 
my  whole  frame.  I  felt  a  thrill  to  the  very  extremity 
of  my  fingers,  and  my  hair  actually  seemed  to  stand 

^  Bradburn's  Life,  pp.  177,  17S.  '  Ibid.,  pp.  I  S3,  1S4. 


72  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

on  end."  The  biographer  of  the  Eev.  Jabez  Bunting 
says  of  Bradburn : — "  His  career  was  brilliant  and 
useful ;  and  perhaps  more  men  longed,  but  durst  not 
try,  to  preach  like  him  than  like  any  other  preacher 
of  his  time.  .  .  .  Bradburn  was  without  exception  the 
most  consummate  orator  we  ever  heard."  And  the 
author  of  Bradburn's  life  concludes  the  citation  of  a 
number  of  testimonies  with  the  following  strongly 
expressed  opinion  of  bis  merits  as  a  pulpit  orator: — 
"  Methodism  has  produced  a  host  of  preachers  renowned 
for  pulpit  eloquence.  The  names  of  Benson,  Lessey, 
Watson,  Newton,  Beaumont,  and  others,  stand  out  in 
bold  relief  on  the  page  of  her  history,  but  the  highest 
niche  in  her  temple  of  fame  belongs,  most  unquestion- 
ably, to  Samuel  Bkadbuen." 

Like  most  men  of  genius  he  had  a  strong  sense  of 
humour,  enjoyed  a  joke  most  heartily,  was  ready  and 
pithy  in  repartee,  and  seldom  at  a  loss  for  spirit  and  tact 
in  extricating  himself  from  difficulties.  Many  a  good 
story  might  be  told,  did  space  allow,  in  illustration  of 
this  feature  of  his  character.  One  or  two  must  suffice. 
Perhaps  the  smartest  thing  he  ever  did  in  outwitting 
the  early  opponents  of  Methodism  was  done  in  a  cer- 
tain small  town,  in  one  of  his  own  circuits,  where,  in 
the  early  days  of  the  movement,  the  preacher  and  his 
friends  had  often  "  been  driven  off  the  field  by  a  mob, 
headed  by  the  clergyman."  Bradburn  understood  the 
state  of  affairs  thoroughly,  and  resolved  to  go  down  to 
the  parish  and  preach  in  the  open  air.  Notice  of  his 
coming  was  duly  forwarded,  and  the  clergyman  ordered 
constables  and  others  to  be  in  attendance  at  the  time 
and  place  appointed  for  the  service.  Meanwhile  Brad- 
burn  having   "  provided  himself  with  a  new  suit  of 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  73 

clothes,  borrowed  a  new  wig  of  a  Methodist  barber," 
and  "  went  to  the  place,  put  his  horse  up  at  the  inn, 
attended  the  morning  service  at  church,  placed  himself 
in  a  conspicuous  situation  so  as  to  attract  the  notice  of 
the  clergyman,  and,  when  the  service  was  closed,  he 
went  up  to  him  on  his  way  out,  accosted  him  as  a 
brother,  and  thanked  him  for  his  sermon.      The  cler- 
gyman, judging  from  his  appearance  and  address  that 
he  was  a  minister  of  some  note,  gave  him  an  invitation 
to  his  house.      Bradburn  respectfully  declined,  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  ordered  dinner,  and  expressed  a 
hope  that  the  clergyman  would  dine  with  him   at  the 
inn.      He  did  so,  and  Bradburn  having  entertained  him 
until  dinner  was  over  with  his  extraordinary  powers  of 
conversation,  managed  to  refer  to  the  open-air  service 
which  was  to  be  held,  and  the  clergyman  stated  his 
intention  to  arrest  the  preacher  and  disperse  the  con- 
gregation,  and    asked   Bradburn   to   accompany  him, 
which  he   did.      On  arriving  at  the  appointed  place 
they  found  a  large  company  assembled;  and   as  no 
preacher  had  made  his  appearance,  the  clergyman  con- 
cluded that  fear  had  kept  him  away,  and  was  about 
to  order  the  people  to  their  homes  when  Bradburn 
remarked  that  it  would  be  highly  improper  to  neglect 
so  favourable  an  opportunity  of  doing  good,  and  urged 
him  to  preach  to  them.      He  excused  himself  by  say- 
ing that  he  had  no  sermon  in  his  pocket,  and  asked 
Bradburn  to  address  them,  which,  of  course,  he  readily 
consented  to  do,  and  commenced  the  service  by  singing 
part  of  the  hymn  beginning  — 

'  Oh,  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing 
My  great  Redeemer's  praise,' 


74  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and,  after  praying,  delivered  an  impressive  discourse 
from  Acts  v.  38,  39,  '  And  now  I  say  unto  you,  Ee- 
frain  from  these  men,  and  let  them  alone ;  for  if 
this  counsel  or  this  work  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to 
nought :  but  if  it  be  of  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it, 
lest  haply  ye  be  found  even  to  fight  against  God.' 
This  not  only  deeply  affected  the  people,  but  so  de- 
lighted the  clergyman,  that  although  he  knew,  as  the 
service  proceeded,  that  he  had  been  duped,  he  heartily 
thanked  Bradburn  for  the  deception  he  had  practised 
on  him,  and  ever  afterwards,  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
showed  a  friendly  disposition  towards  Methodism."  ^ 

The  same  readiness  of  resource  and  good  humour 
were  shown  in  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the 
society  in  his  capacity  as  a  pastor.  On  one  occasion, 
when  he  resided  in  Manchester,  two  ladies,  district 
visitors,  went  to  the  house  of  an  old  woman,  a  member 
of  the  society,  who  was  a  laundress,  and  finding  her 
hard  at  work  accosted  her  with  the  remark:  Betty, 
you  are  busy."  "  Yes,  mum,"  said  Betty,  "  as  busy 
as  the  devil  in  a  whirlwind ! "  Shocked  by  such  an 
indecorous  speech,  the  visitors  threatened  to  report  it 
to  Mr.  Bradburn.  Afraid  of  what  she  had  done,  and  the 
consequence,  if  it  should  come  to  the  preacher's  ears, 
Betty,  as  soon  as  the  ladies  had  gone  away,  set  off  by 
the  quickest  route  to  see  Mr.  Bradburn  and  relate 
the  whole  affair,  and  tlius  anticipate  the  report 
from  the  ladies  themselves.  She  found  Bradburn 
"  engaged  in  his  vocation  as  cobbler  for  his  family." 
"He  Hstened  to  Betty's  simple  story,  and  engaged 
to  put  the  matter  right,  if  she  would  try  to  be  more 
guarded   in   the   future.     She  had  scarcely  got  clear 

1  Bradburn's  Life,  pp.  233-235. 


SAMUEL  BRADBURN.  75 

away  when  the  two  ladies  arrived  with  their  melancholy 
story  of  Betty's  irreverence.  They  were  asked  into 
the  room,  and  seeing  him  at  his  somewhat  iinclerical 
employment,  one  of  them  observed  quite  unthinkingly, 
*  Mr.  Bradburn,  you  are  busy ! '  '  Yes,'  returned 
Bradburn,  with  great  gravity,  '  as  busy  as  the  devil 
in  a  whirlwind ! '  This  remark  from  Betty  was 
sufficiently  startling,  but  from  Bradburn  it  was  horrify- 
ing. Seeing  their  consternation,  he  explained  how 
busy  the  devil  was  in  Job's  days,  when  he  raised  the 
whirlwind  which  '  smote  the  four  corners  of  the  house,' 
where  the  patriarch's  children  were  feasting,  and  slew 
them.  It  is,  perhaps,  needless  to  add  that  the  two 
ladies  left  without  mentioning  the  object  of  their  visit."  ■^ 
Hating  the  false  pride  which  leads  a  man  to  forget 
his  humble  origin,  and  the  canting  way  in  which 
some  men  talk  of  their  sacrifices  in  entering  the 
ministry,  he  once  severely  rebuked  two  young  men 
who  made  a  parade  in  company  of  having  "  given 
up  all  for  the  ministry,"  "  Yes,  dear  brethren,"  said 
he,  "  some  of  you  have  had  to  sacrifice  your  all  for 
the  itiilerancy ;  but  we  old  men  have  had  our  share  of 
these  trials.  As  for  myself,  I  made  a  double  sacrifice, 
for  I  gave  up  for  the  ministry  two  of  the  best  awls 
in  the  kingdom — a  great  sacrifice,  truly,  to  become  an 
ambassador  of  God  in  the  church,  and  a  gentleman  in 
society  !  "  His  ready  wit  was  sometimes  disjjlayed  like 
that  of  Hugh  Latimer,  Dean  Swift,  and  Sydney  Smith, 
in  the  selections  of  texts  for  sermons  on  special 
occasions.  Preaching  at  the  opening  of  a  chapel 
entirely  built  with  borrowed  money,  he  took  as  a  text 
the  words  of  the  young  man  to  Elislia  the  prophet :  '^ 

^  Bradburn's  Life,  pp.  22S,  229.  -  2  Kings  vi.  5. 


76  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"  Alas,  master,  for  it  was  borrowed."  On  a  snowy 
winter's  day,  when  the  congregation  was  very  small, 
he  selected  the  words  which  describe  the  character  of 
the  virtuous  woman/  "  She  is  not  afraid  of  the  snow." 
That  Samuel  Bradburn  was  not  perfect  none  will 
need  to  be  told,  yet  it  will  surprise  and  pain  every 
one  to  read,  that  so  great  and  good  a  man,  honoured 
and  beloved  of  his  brethren  for  many  years,  and  useful 
beyond  computation  as  a  preacher,  should  have  been 
"  overtaken  in  a  fault,"  for  which  the  Conference,  in 
the  exercise  of  a  rigorous  discipline,  saw  fit  to  suspend 
him  for  a  year.  After  the  lapse  of  this  time  he  came 
back  again  to  his  old  position,  penitent  and  humble, 
like  David  or  Peter,  and  like  them  fully  restored  to 
the  Divine  favour.  This  singular  and  melancholy 
event  appears  to  have  been  due  as  much  to  mental  as 
moral  derangement,  and  in  a  short  while,  such  was 
the  sincerity  of  his  sorrow  and  the  blameless  character 
of  his  after-life,  his  brethren  were  thankful  to  forget 
it,  and  to  place  him  once  more  in  positions  of  high 
trust  and  lionour  in  the  Connexion.  The  last  ten 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  important  circuits 
of  Bolton,  Bath,  Wakefield,  Bristol,  Liverpool,  and 
East  London.  He  died  in  London,  July  26,  18 16, 
in  the  66th  year  of  his  age.  At  the  time  of  his 
decease  the  Conference  was  sitting  in  London.  As  a 
token  of  esteem  and  affection  all  its  members  joined 
in  the  funeral  service  at  the  New  Chapel,  City  Eoad. 
He  was  buried  in  Old  Methodist  graveyard.  City  Ptoad, 
by  the  side  of  his  friend  John  Wesley,  in  the  last 
resting-place  of  many  of  the  fathers  and  founders  of 
the  Wesleyan  Connexion. 

^  Proverbs  xxxi.  21. 


miilliam  6iffor^, 

FROM    THE    shoemaker's    STOOL    TO    THE    EDITOR'S    CHAIR. 


"  Not  mine  the  soul  that  pants  not  after  fame — 
Ambitious  of  a  poet's  envied  name, 
I  haunt  the  sacred  fount,  athirst  to  prove 
The  grateful  influence  of  the  stream  I  love." 

—  The  Baviad;   William  Gifford. 

"  It  is  on  all  hands  conceded,  that  the  success  which  attended  the 
'  Quarterly '  from  the  outset  was  due,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the  ability 
and  tact  with  which  Gifford  discharged  his  editorial  duties."— Encyclo- 
isadia  Britdnnica. 

"  I  am  not  more  certain  of  many  conjectures  than  I  am  that  he  never 
propagated  a  dishonest  opinion,  nor  did  a  dishonest  act." —  Writer  in  the 
Literary  Gazette. 


(     79     ) 


WILLIAM  GIF  FORD. 

|HE  field  of  literature  seems  always  to  have 
had  a  special  charm  for  shoemakers.  If  the 
reader  will  glance  for  a  moment  at  the  list 
of  names  given  at  the  end  of  this  book,  this  fact  will 
be  at  once  apparent.  Half,  or  more  than  half,  the 
names  given  in  that  list  are  in  some  way  or  other  con- 
nected with  literature.  The  connection  is  but  slight 
in  many  instances,  perhaps,  and  the  reputation  it  con- 
ferred ,Qnly  local  and  temporary.  Few  of  our  shoe- 
makers, even  though  we  have  thought  well  to  style 
them  "  illustrious,"  can  be  said  to  have  made  a  great 
and  lasting  name  in  the  world  of  letters  ;  and  none  of 
them,  it  must  be  confessed,  have  attained  to  first  rank 
as  prose  or  poetical  writers.  But  there  are  worthies  in 
our  list,  associated  alike  with  the  humble  craft  of 
shoemaking  and  the  higher  walks  of  literature,  whose 
names  the  world  will  not  willingly  let  die,  and  we 
venture  to  think  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
one  of  the  number. 

William  Giflbrd  was  the  first  editor  of  the  "  London 
Quarterly  Eeview."  The  high  and  influential  position 
held  by  this  journal  was  mainly  due,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, to  Gifford's  talent  and  excellent  management. 
The  "  London  Quarterly  "  was  started  in  opposition  to 


8o  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

the  famous  "  Edinburgh  Quarterly ; "  George  Canning, 
the  celebrated  statesman,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott,  the 
great  novelist,  being  the  prime  movers  and  early  pat- 
rons of  the  enterprise,  for  the  "  Edinburgh,"  under  the 
clever  management  of  Jeffrey,  and  supported  by  such 
writers  as  Sydney  Smith  and  Brougham,  was  then  too 
liberal  in  its  tone  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  brilliant 
Foreign  Secretary  and  his  Tory  friends.  It  was  no 
slight  testimony  to  the  abilities  of  the  man  who  was 
chosen  as  the  first  editor  of  the  new  "  Quarterly  "  that 
his  election  should  have  been  cordially  approved  by 
the  first  of  Scottish  novelists,  and  one  of  the  most 
influential  of  English  statesmen. 

Gifford  was  the  author  of  two  satirical  poems,  the 
"  Baviad  "  and  "  Maeviad,"  directed  against  the  tawdry 
and  sentimental  rhymsters  of  a  certain  school  which 
flourished  in  his  day.''  His  scathing  satire  succeeded 
in  putting  an  end  to  their  trash.  Gifford  published  also 
a  translation  of  the  Latin  poets,  Juvenal  and  Persius. 
To  the  latter  he  prefixed  the  story  of  his  own  early 
life  as  a  poor  cobbler's  apprentice.  From  this  inte- 
resting autobiography  the  materials  for  the  following 
sketch  have  been  chiefly  selected.  William  Gifford's 
best  title  to  fame  was,  no  doubt,  his  edition  of  the 
"  Early  English  Dramatists  " — Ford,  Massinger,  Shir- 
ley, and  Ben  Jonson.  His  generous  and  able  vindica- 
tion of  Jonson  reflects  credit  both  upon  the  critic  and 
the  poet.  It  should  be  added  that  Gifford's  editorship 
of  the  "  Quarterly "  extended  over  fifteen  years,  and 
that  during  the  whole  of  this  period  he  was  the  writer 
of  a  large  number  of  its  most  able  articles. 

Having  taken  a  glimpse  of  the  work  accomplished 

^  The  "  Delia  Cruscan  school."     See  below. 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  8i 

by  William  G  iffo I'd  as  a  critic,  a  scholar,  and  au  editor 
in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  let  iis  turn  to  look  at 
his  circumstances  in  boyhood  and  youth,  wheu,  as  a 
miserable  cobbler's  ap})rentice,  he  began  to  yearn  after 
knowledge  and  to  cherish  ambitious  dreams.  The  con- 
trast between  the  first  and  last  scenes  in  the  drama  of 
life  could  hardly  be  more  wonderful  than  that  which 
is  presented  in  the  history  of  the  man  who  passed  from 
the  cobbler's  stool  to  the  editor's  chair. 

William  Gifford  was  born  at  the  small  town  of 
Ashburton,  in  South  Devon,  in  1757.  His  lather, 
who  was  a  man  of  spendthrift  and  profligate  habits, 
died  of  the  effects  of  his  evil  conduct  before  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  forty.  In  tweh'e  mouths  after- 
wards Gilford's  mother  died,  leaving  William,  and  a 
little  brother  two  years  old,  orphans,  and,  it  would 
seem,  penniless.  As  no  home  could  be  found  for  the 
infant,  ke  was  sent  to  the  workhouse.  William,  then 
thirteen  years  of  age,  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  man 
named  Carlisle,  who  had  stood  as  his  godfather,  a 
w^orthless  fellow,  who  had  appropriated  the  few  things 
left  by  the  mother,  on  pretence  of  claiming  them  for 
debt.  This  man  put  William  to  school,  where  he 
began  to  show  signs  of  ability  ;  but  he  was  allowed 
no  chance  of  making  progress  ;  for,  at  the  end  of  three 
months,  grudging  the  slight  cost  of  his  tuition,  Carlisle 
took  the  boy  from  his  books  and  playmates,  and  put 
liim  to  the  plough.  It  was  soon  found  that  he  was 
too  weak  for  such  heavy  work.  His  guardian  now 
tried  to  get  the  boy  out  of  hand  altogether,  by  sending 
him  off  to  Newfoundland  as  an  errand-boy  in  a 
grocery  store.  This  unkind  project,  however,  being 
doomed  to  failure,  it  was  resolved  that  the  trouble- 

r 


82  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

some  charge  should  be  got  rid  of  by  making  him  a 
sailor. 

We  give  the  account  of  what  happened  at  this 
period  in  his  own  words :  "  My  godfather  had  now 
humbler  views  for  me,  and  I  had  no  heart  to  resist 
anything.  He  proposed  to  send  me  on  board  one  of 
the  Torbay  fishing-boats.  I  ventured,  however,  to 
remonstrate  against  this,  and  the  matter  was  com- 
promised by  my  consenting  to  go  on  board  a  coaster. 
A  coaster  was  speedily  found  for  me  at  Brixliam,  and 
thitlier  I  went  when  little  more  than  thirteen  years  of 
age.  It  will  easily  be  conceived  that  my  life  was  a 
life  of  hardship.  I  was  not  only  a  ship-boy  on  the 
high  and  giddy  mast,  but  also  in  the  cabin,  where 
every  menial  office  I'ell  to  my  lot.  Yet  if  I  was  rest- 
less and  discontented  it  was  not  so  much  on  account 
of  this  as  of  my  being  prevented  reading,  as  my 
master  did  not  possess  a  single  book  of  any  descrip- 
tion, excepting  a  Coasting  Pilot." 

Gifford  was  on  board  this  vessel  for  about  twelve 
months,  a  time  of  untold  suffering  and  degradation. 
In  fact,  his  position  was  so  deplorable  that  some 
women  from  Ashburton,  who  went  down  to  Brixham 
to  buy  fish,  shocked  to  see  the  boy  running  about  the 
beach  in  ragged  clothes,  spoke  so  plainly  on  their 
return  home  about  the  hardship  of  his  lot,  that  his 
godfather  was  compelled  for  very  shame  to  send  for 
him  home  again.  He  was  once  more  put  to  school, 
and  now  made  such  rapid  strides  in  arithmetic  that 
on  an  emergency  he  was  invited  to  assist  the  school- 
master. He  goes  on  in  his  own  narrative  to  say,  that 
these  encouragements  led  him  to  entertain  the  idea 
that  he  might  be  able  to  get  his  own  living  by  teach- 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  S3 

ing,  aud  as  his  first  master  "was  now  grown  old  and 
infirm,  it  seemed  nnlilvely  that  he  should  hold  out 
above  three  or  four  years,  and  I  fondly  flattered  my- 
self," he  adds,  "that  notwithstanding  my  youth  I 
might  possibly  be  appointed  to  succeed  him."  It  is 
worth  while  to  notice  that  he  was  but  a  boy  in  his 
teens  when  he  first  began  to  feel  the  noble  spirit  of 
ambition  stir  within  him,  and  to  cherish  the  laudable 
desire  to  rely  upon  his  own  efforts  for  his  maintenance. 
It  was  this  lofty  and  self-reliant  spirit  which  carried 
him  past  all  his  difficulties ;  and,  truth  to  tell,  no  one 
has  ever  done  anything  remarkable  in  the  world  with- 
out it.  The  youth  who  is  altogether  destitute  of 
ambition,  and  is  ever  on  the  look-out  for  the  help  of 
friends,  lacks  the  first  elements  of  success  in  life. 
But  Gifford's  bravery  and  persistence  of  mind  had  to 
be  severely  tested  before  meeting  with  their  due 
reward.  ' 

Proceeding  with  his  pathetic  story,  he  says,  "  I  was 
about  fifteen  years  of  age  when  I  built  these  castles 
in  the  air.  A  storm,  however,  was  collecting,  which 
unexpectedly  burst  upon  me  and  swept  them  all 
away.  On  mentioning  my  plan  to  my  guardian,  he 
treated  it  with  the  utmost  contempt,  and  told  me  he 
had  been  necrotiatinfr  with  his  cousin,  a  shoemaker  of 
some  respectability,  who  had  lil)erally  consented  to 
take  me,  without  fee,  as  an  apprentice,  I  was  so 
shocked  at  this  intelligence  that  I  did  not  venture  to 
remonstrate,  but  went  in  sullenness  and  silence  to  my 
new  master,  to  whom  I  was  bound  till  I  should  attain 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  At  this  period  I  had  read 
nothing  but  a  romance  called  '  Parismus,'  a  few  loose 
magazines — the  Bible,  indeed,  I  was  well  acquainted 


84  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

uitli ;  tliese,  with  the  '  Imitation  of  Tliomas  a  Kempis,' 
which  I  used  to  read  to  my  mother  on  her  deathbed, 
constituted  the  whole  of  my  literary  acquisitions." 

The  account  which  follows  has  few  things  to  equal 
it  in  the  records  of  struggling  genius.  It  will  serve 
to  show  how  abject  and  apparently  hopeless  was  his 
condition  as  a  student  at  this  time  of  his  life,  and  will 
show  also,  what  it  may  be  hoped  no  youth  who  reads 
these  pages  will  fail  to  learn,  how  marvellous  is  the 
power  of  energy  and  perseverance  to  triumph  over 
apparently  insuperable  obstacles. 

"  I  possessed,"  Gifford  writes,  "  at  this  time  but  one 
book  in  the  world;  it  was  a  treatise  on  algebra  given 
to  me  by  a  young  woman  who  had  found  it  in  a 
lodging-house.  I  considered  it  a  treasure;  but  it  was 
a  treasure  locked  up,  for  it  supposed  the  reader  to  be 
acquainted  with  simple  equations,  and  I  knew  nothing 
of  the  matter."  He  then  speaks  of  meeting  with  a 
book  called  Fenning's  "  Introduction "  belonging  to  his 
master's  son,  who,  by  tlie  way,  was  discovered  after- 
wards to  have  been  all  through  this  time  a  secret  rival 
for  the  head-mastership.  This  "  Introduction"  gave 
Gifford  just  the  information  required  to  carry  him 
forward  into  the  study  of  algebra.  But  he  was  com- 
pelled to  study  it  by  stealth,  lest  it  should  be  taken 
from  him,  and  he  goes  on  to  say :  "  I  sat  up  for  the 
greater  part  of  several  nights  successively  and  com- 
pletely mastered  it.  I  could  now  enter  upon  my  own, 
and  that  carried  me  pretty  far  into  the  science.  This 
was  not  done  without  difficulty.  I  had  not  a  farthing 
on  earth,  nor  a  friend  to  give  me  one ;  pen,  ink,  and 
paper,  therefore,  were  for  the  most  part  as  completely 
out  of  mv  reach  as  a  crown  and  sceptre.     There  was, 


WILLIAM  GIF  FORD.  85 

indeed,  a  resource,  but  the  utmost  caution  and  secresy 
were  necessary  in  applying  to  it.  I  beat  out  pieces 
of  leather  as  smooth  as  possible  and  wrought  my 
problems  on  them  with  a  blunted  awl;  for  the  rest 
my  memory  was  tenacious,  and  I  could  multiply  and 
divide  by  it  to  a  great  extent." 

Strange  to  say,  although  he  displayed  so  much 
ability  and  zeal  in  the  study  of  mathematics,  he  was 
not  destined  to  achieve  distinction  in  that  department 
of  study.  A  very  trifling  incident  led  to  the  exercise 
of  new  gifts,  and  turned  the  tide  of  his  evil  fortune. 
A  shopmate  had  made  a  few  verses  on  the  blunder  of 
a  painter  in  the  village  who  was  engaged  to  paint  a 
lion  for  a  sign-board,  and  had  produced  a  dog  instead. 
Gifford  thought  he  could  beat  the  verses  of  his  shop- 
mate,  and  accordingly  tried  his  hand  at  rhyme.  His 
associates  all  agreed  in  pronouncing  young  Gifford's 
verses 'the  better  of  the  two.  This  encouraged  him  to 
try  again,  and  in  the  course  of  a  short  time  he  had 
composed  about  a  dozen  pieces.  He  says :  "  They 
were  talked  of  in  my  little  circle,  and  I  was  some- 
times invited  to  repeat  them  out  of  it.  I  never  com- 
mitted a  line  to  paper,  first,  because  I  had  no  paper ; 
and,  second,  because  I  was  afraid,  for  my  master  had 
already  threatened  me  for  inadvertently  hitching  the 
name  of  one  of  his  customers  into  a  rhyme."  The 
rest  of  this  account  of  his  poetical  adventures  would 
be  amusing  if  it  were  not  fur  the  pathos  which  under- 
lies it,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  the  prelude  to  one  of  the 
most  painful  incidents  in  the  sad  story  of  Giftbrd's 
early  life.  Ptcferring  to  these  recitals  of  his  poetical 
pieces  he  says  :  "  These  repetitions  were  always  attended 
by  applause,  and  sometimes  by  favours  more  substan- 


86  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

tial ;  little  collections  were  now  and  then  made,  and  I 
have  received  sixpence  in  an  evening  (!)  To  one  who 
had  long  lived  in  the  absolute  want  of  money  such  a 
resource  seemed  a  Peruvian  mine.  I  furnished  myself 
by  degrees  with  paper,  &c.,  and,  what  was  of  more 
importance,  with  books  of  geometry  and  of  the  higher 
branches  of  algebra,  which  I  cautiously  concealed. 
Poetry  even  at  this  time  was  no  amusement  of  mine. 
I  only  had  recourse  to  it  when  I  wanted  money  for 
my  mathematical  pursuits.  But  the  clouds  were 
gathering  fast.  My  master's  anger  was  raised  to  a 
terrible  pitch  by  my  indifference  to  his  concerns,  and 
still  more  by  my  presumptuous  attempts  at  versifica- 
tion. I  was  required  to  give  up  my  papers,  and  when 
I  refused,  was  searched,  my  little  hoard  of  books  dis- 
covered and  removed,  and  all  future  repetitions  pro- 
hibited in  the  strictest  manner.  This  was  a  severe 
stroke,  I  felt  it  most  sensibly,  and  it  was  followed  by 
another,  severer  still,  a  stroke  which  crushed  the  hopes 
I  had  so  long  and  fondly  cherished,  and  resigned  me 
at  once  to  despair,  Mr.  Hugh  Smerdon,  the  master  of 
the  school  on  whose  succession  I  had  calculated,  died 
and  was  succeeded  by  a  person  not  much  older  than 
myself,  and  certainly  not  so  well  qualified  for  the 
situation." 

Poor  Gifford  !  hard,  indeed,  was  thy  lot ;  an  orphan 
without  friends,  helpers,  or  sympathisers,  having  no 
proper  leisure  or  means  for  study  or  recreation,  and 
even  the  little  pleasure  and  profit  wrung  from  a  few- 
ciphering  books  and  doggrel  verses  snatched  away  by 
cruel  hands ;  trodden  down  like  a  worm  in  the  mire, 
and  every  particle  of  talent  and  ambition  threatened 
with  extinction  !     For  six  long  years  tliis  misery  lasted 


WILLIAM  GIF  FORD.  87 

in  one  form  or  another,  while  he  strove  to  hope  on 
against  hope,  and  found  himself  compelled  to  labour  at 
a  trade  which  he  declares  he  hated  from  the  first  with 
a  perfect  hatred,  and  never,  consequeutly,  made  any 
progress  in.  What  could  be  more  miserable  and  dis- 
heartening ?  But  to  the  industrious  and  patient,  as 
"  to  the  upright,  there  ariseth  light  in  the  darkness." 
No  darker  hour  occurred  in  all  Gilford's  miserable  boy- 
hood and  youth  than  that  which  is  described  in  the 
sentences  just  quoted.  And  now  the  light  is  about 
to  appear.  A  friend  comes  upon  the  scene,  to  whose 
generous  interference  the  unhappy  cobbler  owed  the 
educational  advantages  he  afterwards  enjoyed.  His 
obligations  to  this  benefactor  were  always  most  readily 
and  warmly  expressed ;  for  whatever  faults  Giftbrd 
might  have,  he  was  never  charged  with  the  meanness 
of  forg;ptting  his  lowly  origin,  and  the  generous  friend 
by  whom  he  had  been  rescued  from  a  wretched  condi- 
tion and  introduced  to  a  happier  state  of  life.  He 
speaks  of  his  benefactor  as  bearing  "  a  name  never  to 
be  pronounced  by  him  without  veneration."  This 
gentleman,  Mr.  Cooksley,  was  a  surgeon  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. He  had  accidentally  heard  of  the  young 
cobbler's  poetry,  and  sought  an  interview  with  him. 
Gifford  went  down  to  the  surgeon's  house,  and,  encou- 
raged by  the  kindness  he  received,  told  the  story  of  his 
attempts  at  self-culture,  and  of  the  hardships  he  had 
undergone.  Deeply  moved  by  the  touching  story,  and 
convinced  of  the  young  man's  natural  abilities  and 
desert  of  encouragement,  Mr.  Cooksley  resolved,  there 
and  then,  on  liberatirig  the  youth  from  the  thraldom  of 
his  situation.  The  first  thing  was  to  free  him  from 
the  bonds  of  his  apprenticeship,  and  the  next  to  give 


88  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

him  the  advantages  of  regular  instruction.  He  was  then 
twenty  years  of  age,  and  he  says,  "  My  handwriting 
was  bad,  and  my  language  very  incorrect."  Accord- 
ingly, a  subscription  was  started  to  furnish  funds  for 
this  twofold  purpose.  It  read  as  follows :  "  A  sub- 
scription for  purchasing  the  remainder  of  the  time  of 
William  Gifford,  and  for  enabling  him  to  improve 
himself  in  writing  and  English  grammar."  The  kind- 
ness of  Cooksley  and  a  few  other  friends,  whose  sym- 
pathies were  enlisted  by  his  generous  zeal  for  the 
youth,  enabled  him  to  receive  two  years'  instruction 
from  a  clergyman,  the  Eev,  Thomas  Smerdon,  who  re- 
sided in  the  locality.  Such  was  the  progress  made  by 
Gifford,  that  at  the  end  of  that  time  his  instructor  pro- 
nounced him  quite  prepared  for  the  university.  Again 
Mr.  Cooksley  proved  a  friend.  By  his  efforts  and  pro- 
mises of  support  Gifford  was  entered  at  Exeter  College, 
Oxford.  Unfortunately  his  noble  patron  died  before 
Gifford  could  take  his  degree.  But  he  was  not  suffered 
to  leave  Oxford  on  account  of  Mr.  Cooksley's  death. 
He  found  a  second  patron  in  Lord  Grosvenor,  by 
whose  aid  the  grateful  undergraduate  was  enabled  to 
finish  his  term.  The  culture  which  he  received  in 
the  university  must  have  been  very  thorough  and 
complete,  evincing  itself  in  refinement  of  manner  as 
well  as  scholarship  of  no  ordinary  degree,  for  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  after  leaving  Ashbiirton,  we 
learn  that  the  late  shoemaker  was  taken  into  the 
family  of  Lord  Grosvenor  as  private  tutor  and  travel- 
ling companion  to  his  son  Lord  Belgrave.  The 
circumstance  which  led  to  Lord  Grosvenor's  patronage 
of  Gifford  was  remarkable,  and  deserves  to  be  recorded 
as  an  illustration  of  the  fact  that  an  accident  may  lead 


WILLIAM  GIF  FORD.  89 

to  the  most  important  events  in  our  history.  But  we 
must  premise,  tirst  of  all,  as  a  safeguard  against  a  false 
inference  or  false  hopes,  that  such  accidents  are  sure  to 
come  in  the  way  of  industrious,  clever  and  deserving 
men.  If  they  occur  to  men  of  a  different  stamp  they 
are  of  no  avail.  If  William  Gilford  had  not  been  a 
hard-working  student,  such  a  circumstance  as  the 
accidental  perusal  of  one  of  his  letters  by  a  person  for 
whom  it  was  not  intended  could  not  have  helped  his 
fortunes  in  the  least.  It  appears  that  he  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  corresponding  with  a  friend  in  London  on 
literary  matters.  His  letters  to  this  friend  were  sent 
under  covers,  and  in  order  to  save  postage  were  left  at 
Lord  Grosvenor's.  One  day  the  address  of  the  literary 
friend  was  omitted,  and  his  lordship,  supposing  the 
letter  to  be  for  himself,  opened  and  read  it.  The 
contends  excited  his  admiration,  and  awakened  his 
curiosity  to  know  who  the  author  could  be.  He  was 
sent  for,  and  after  an  interview,  in  which,  for  the 
second  time  in  his  life,  he  told  the  story  of  his  early 
struggles  to  willing  and  sympathising  ears,  he  was 
invited  by  Lord  Grosvenor  to  come  and  reside  with 
him. 

It  is  deeply  gratifying  to  record  instances  of  dis- 
interested generosity  of  this  kind,  and  to  read  the 
gldwiug  language  in  which  the  thankful  young  student 
refers  to  the  kindness  of  his  noble  patron.  Eeferring 
to  the  invitation  to  live  with  Lord  Grosvenor,  and 
his  promise  of  honourable  maintenance,  Giffbrd  says, 
"  These  were  not  words  of  course,  they  were  more  than 
fulfilled  in  every  point.  I  did  go  and  reside  with 
him,  and  I  experienced  a  warm  and  cordial  reception, 
and  a  kind  and  affectionate  esteem  that  has  known 


90  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

neither  diminution  nor  interruption,  from  that  hour  to 
this,  a  period  of  twenty  years." 

In  1794,  his  "  Baviad"  was  published,  in  imitation 
of  the  satires  of  Persius,  and  in  the  following  year 
the  "  Mseviad,"  after  the  style  of  Horace.  These  names 
were  taken  from  the  third  Eclogue  of  Virgil — 

"  He  may  with  foxes  plough,  and  milk  he- goats, 
Who  praises  Bavius  or  an  Jlcevius  dotes." 

These  terribly  virulent  satires,  like  those  of  Boileau 
and  Pope,  were  aimed  at  contemporary  poets  of  an 
inferior  order,  and  like  them  too,  were  most  crushing 
in  their  effect.  The  Bella  Cruscan  School,'-  never 
smiled,  or  rather  smirked,  again  after  the  issue  of  the 
Baviad  and  Masviad.  But  it  is  a  rare  thing  to 
meet  with  a  critic  or  a  satirist  who  escapes  the  danger 
of  committing  a  fault  in  condemning  one.  Gifford 
did  not  escape  this  danger.  His  lines  certainly  did 
not  answer  to  the  epigram — 

"  Satire  should,  like  a  polished  razor  keen, 
Wound  with  a  touch  that's  scarcely  felt  or  seen." 

His  unhappy  victims  were  hacked  and  hewed  in  pieces 
in  a  merciless  and  barbarous  manner ;  while  the 
spectators  enjoyed  the  savage  sport,  and  accorded  the 
cruel  executioner  a  wreath  of  laurel  for  the  vigour 
and  talent  displayed  in  his  unenviable  task.  These 
satires  first  made  Gifford's  name  in  the  world  of 
letters.  But  his  fame  as  a  scholar  was  established 
chiefly  on  his  translations  of  Persius  and  Juvenal, 
and    his    excellent    editions,    with    valuable    notes,    of 

^  The  name  Cruscan  was  taken  from  the  Florentine  Academy,  by 
Robert  Merry,  the  founder  of  this  school  of  mawkish  and  affected 
poetasters. 


WILLIAM  GIF  FORD.  91 

the  early  "  English  Dramatists."  Speaking  of  Gifford's 
edition  of  Ben  Jonson's  drania,tic  and  other  works, 
John  Kemble,  the  most  accomplished  actor  of  his  day, 
says,  "  It  is  the  best  edition,  by  the  ablest  of  modern 
commentators,  through  whose  learned  and  generous 
labours  old  Ben's  forgotten  works  and  injured  character 
are  restored  to  the  merited  admiration  and  esteem  of 
the  world." 

The  celebrity  thus  obtained,  along  with  the  friend- 
ship of  the  leading  Tory  politicians  of  the  day,  secured 
for  Giffbrd  the  position  of  editor  of  the  "  London 
Quarterly."  It  ought  to  be  stated  that  when  Mr.  Chan- 
ning  started  the  "  Anti- Jacobin  "  in  1797,  Gifford  was 
entrusted  with  the  conduct  of  that  journal,  and  had 
thus  acquired  a  little  experience  of  journalism.  His 
connection  with  this  paper,  wdiich  came  out  weekly, 
lasted  only  for  a  year.  But  he  managed  the  "  Quar- 
terly," as  we  have  said,  for  fifteen  years,  that  is,  from 
1809,  the  date  of  its  commencement,  to  1824,  when 
ill-health  compelled  him  to  lay  his  pen  aside. 

The  plan  of  this  new  journal  had  originated  with 
John  Murray,  the  famous  publisher,  and  had  received 
the  hearty  support  of  Walter  Scott,  Eobert  Southey, 
Canning,  Kose,  Disraeli,  and  Hookham  Frere.  The 
first  number,  containing  three  articles  by  Walter  Scott, 
was  published  on  the  ist  February  1809,  and  was 
immediately  sold  out,  a  second  edition  being  called 
for.  Canning  wrote  for  the  second  number,  and 
Southey  became  a  constant  and  most  prolific  con- 
tributor. "For  the  first  hundred  and  twenty-six 
numbers  he  wrote  ninety-four  articles,  many  of  them 
of    great    permanent    value."  ^       At    John    Murray's 

1  "  History  of  Booksellers."  H.  Cunven.     Chtitto  &  Windus.  P.  175. 


92  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"  drawing-rooms,"  where  the  leading  literary  men  of 
the  day  were  wont  to  assemble  at  four  o'clock,  Gifford 
met  with  a  brilliant  assemblage  of  poets,  novelists, 
historians,  artists,  and  others.  Murray  the  publisher 
delighted  "  to  gather  together  such  men  as  Byron, 
Scott,  Moore,  Campbell,  Southey,  Gifford,  Hallam, 
Lockhart,  Washington  Irving,  and  Mrs.  Somerville ; 
and,  more  than  this,  he  invited  such  artists  as  Lawrence, 
Wilkie,  Phillips,  Newton,  and  Pickersgill,  to  meet 
them  and  paint  them,  that  they  might  hang  for  ever 
on  his  walls." ^  It  was  in  reference  to  one  of  Murray's 
"  publishers'  dinners  "  Byron  wrote  the  lines  in  which 
occurs  the  following  allusion  to  Gifford : — 

"  A  party  dines  with  me  to-d.iy, 
All  clever  men  -who  make  their  way  ; 
Crabbe,  Malcolm,  Hamilton,  and  Chantrey 
Are  all  partakers  of  my  pantry. 

My  room's  so  full — we've  Gifford  here, 
Eeading  MS.  with  Hookham  Frere, 
Pronouncing  on  the  nouns  and  particles 
Of  some  of  our  forthcoming  articles." 

A  writer  in  the  "  Literary  Gazette,"^  who  had  the 
pleasure  of  Gifford's  personal  acquaintance,  has  made 
the  following  interesting  notes  upon  his  private  charac- 
ter, and  his  conduct  as  an  editor.  "  He  never  stipu- 
lated for  any  salary  as  editor ;  at  first  he  received 
^200,  and  at  last  ;!^900  per  annum,  but  never  engaged 
for  a  particular  sum.  He  several  times  returned  money 
to  Murray,  saying,  '  he  had  been  too  liberal.'     Perhaps 

*  "  History  of  Booksellers  :  "  H.  Curwen.  Chatto  &  Windus.  Pp. 
180,  181. 

-  Quoted  in  "  The  Lives  of  Eminent  Englishmen.''  Fullarton  & 
Co.,  Glasgow,  1 838.     Vol.  viii.  pp.  317,  318. 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  93 

he  was  the  only  man  on  this  side  the  Tweed  who 
thought  so  !  He  was  perfectly  indifferent  about  wealth. 
I  do  not  know  a  better  proof  of  this  than  the  fact  that 
he  was  richer,  by  a  very  considerable  sum,  at  the  time 
of  his  death  than  he  was  at  all  aware  of.  In  unison 
with  his  contempt  of  money  was  his  disregard  of  any 
external  distinction ;  he  had  a  strong  natural  aversion 
to  anything  like  pomp  or  parade.  Yet  he  was  by  no 
means  insensible  to  an  honourable  distinction,  and 
when  the  University  of  Oxford,  about  two  years  before 
his  death,  offered  to  give  him  a  doctor's  degree,  he 
observed,  '  Twenty  years  ago  it  would  have  been 
gratifying,  but  now  it  would  only  be  written  on  my 
coffin.' 

"  His  disregard  for  external  show  was  the  more 
remarkable,  as  a  contrary  feeling  is  generally  observable 
in  persons  who  have  risen  from  penury  to  wealth. 
But  Giflbrd  was  a  gentleman  in  feeling  and  in  con- 
duct, and  you  were  never  led  to  susjject  he  was  sprung 
from  an  obscure  origin  except  when  he  reminded 
you  of  it  by  by  an  anecdote  relative  to  it.  And  this 
recalls  one  of  the  stories  he  used  to  tell  with  irresist- 
able  drollery,  the  merit  of  which  entirely  depended 
on  his  manner.  It  was  simply  this :  At  the  cobblers' 
board,  of  which  Gifford  had  been  a  member,  there  was 
but  one  candle  allowed  for  the  whole  coterie  of  opera- 
tives ;  it  was,  of  course,  a  matter  of  importance  that 
this  candle  should  give  as  much  light  as  possible. 
This  was  only  to  be  done  by  repeated  snuffings ;  but 
snuffers  being  a  piece  of  i'antastic  coxcombry  they 
were  not  pampered  with,  the  members  of  the  board 
took  it  in  turn  to  perform  the  office  of  the  forbidden 
luxury  with  their  finger  and  thumb.     The  candle  was 


94  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

handed,  therefore,  to  each  in  succession,  with  the  word 
'  sneaf  (Anglice,  snuff)  bellowed  in  his  ears.  Gifford 
used  to  pronounce  this  word  in  the  legitimate  broad 
Devonshire  dialect,  and  accompanied  his  story  with 
expressive  gestures.  Now  on  paper  this  is  absolutely 
nothing,  but  in  Gifford's  mouth  it  was  exquisitely 
humorous.  I  should  not,  however,  have  mentioned  it, 
were  it  not  that  it  appears  to  me  one  of  the  best 
instances  I  could  give  of  his  humility  in  recurring  to 
his  former  condition.  .  .  .  He  was  a  man  of  very 
deep  and  warm  affections.  If  I  were  desired  to  point 
out  the  distinguishing  excellence  of  his  private  cha- 
racter, I  should  refer  to  his  fervent  sincerity  of  heart. 
He  was  particularly  kind  to  children  and  fond  of  their 
society.  My  sister,  when  young,  used  sometimes  to 
spend  a  month  with  him,  on  which  occasions  he  would 
hire  a  pianoforte,  and  once  he  actually  had  a  juvenile 
ball  at  his  house  for  her  amusement." 

Speaking  of  the  spirit  he  disj)layed  as  editor  of 
the  "  Quarterly,"  the  same  writer  says  : — "  He  disliked 
incurring  an  obligation  which  might  in  any  degree 
shackle  the  expression  of  his  free  opinion.  Agreeably 
to  this,  he  laid  down  a  rule,  from  which  he  never 
departed,  that  every  writer  in  the  '  Quarterly '  would 
receive  at  least  so  much  per  sheet.  On  one  occasion, 
a  gentleman  holding  office  under  Government  sent 
liim  an  article,  which,  after  undergoing  some  serious 
mutilations  at  his  hands  preparatory  to  being  ushered 
into  the  world,  was  accepted.  But  the  usual  sum 
being  sent  to  the  author,  he  rejected  it  with  disdain, 
conceiving  it  a  high  dishonour  to  be  paid  for  anything 
— the  independent  placeman !  Gifford,  in  answer, 
informed  him  of  the  invariable  rule  of  the  '  Eeview,' 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  95 

adding,  that  he  could  send  the  money  to  any  charitable 
institution,  or  dispose  of  it  in  any  manner  he  should 
direct,  but  that  the  money  must  be  paid.  The  doughty 
official,  convinced  that  the  virtue  of  his  article  would 
force  it  into  the  '  Eeview'  at  all  events,  stood  firm 
in  his  refusal ;  greatly  to  his  dismay  the  article  was 
returned.  He  revenged  himself  by  never  sending 
another." 

Speaking  of  his  relation  to  the  Tory  Government  of 
the  day,  the  writer  says : — "  It  is  true  his  independence 
of  opinion  might  seem  to  be  interfered  with  by  the 
situations  he  held,  but  they  were  bestowed  on  him 
unsolicited,  and  from  motives  of  personal  regard.  I 
am  sure  every  one  acquainted  with  him  will  admit, 
that  he  would  have  rejected  with  scorn  any  kindness 
which  could  be  considered  as  fettering  the  freedom  of 
his  conduct  in  the  smallest  degree.  I  am  not  more 
certain  of  many  conjectures  than  I  am  that  he  never 
propagated  a  dishonest  opinion  nor  did  a  dishonest 
act.  ,  .  .  If  the  united  influence  of  the 'Anti- Jacobin' 
and  the  '  Quarterly'  be  considered,  we  may  probably 
be  justified  in  assigning  to  Gifford's  literary  support  of 
Government  a  rank  second  only  to  Burke." 

William  Gilford  died  worth  a  considerable  fortune, 
which  he  left,  as  a  token  of  undying  gratitude,  to  Mr. 
William  Cooksley,  the  son  of  his  first  generous  patron 
and  benefactor. 

We  append  a  few  selections  from  Gifford's  poetical 
works,  as  samples  of  his  style  and  quality  as  a  writer. 
The  first  is  from  the  "  Baviad,"  and  represents  him  in 
the  character  of  a  satirist  exposing  the  vanities  of  the 
"  Delia  Cruscan "  school  of  poets ;  and  the  second, 
taken  from  the  "  Mseviad,"  exhibits  him  in  the  more 


96  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

genial  light  of  a  faithful  friend,  commemorating  Lis 
early  intercourse  with  his  companion  and  fellow-stu- 
dent, Dr.  Ireland,  Dean  of  Westminster : — 

"  For  I  was  born 
To  brand  obtrusive  ignorance  with  scorn ; 
On  bloated  pedantry  to  pour  my  rage, 
And  hiss  preposterous  fustian  from  the  stage. 

Lo,  Delia  Crusca  !     In  his  closet  pent, 
He  toils  to  give  the  crude  conception  vent. 
Abortive  thoughts  that  right  and  wrong  confound, 
Truth  sacrificed  to  letters,  sense  to  sound. 
False  glare,  incongruous  images  combine  ; 
And  noise  and  nonsense  clatter  through  the  line, 
'Tis  done.     Her  house  the  generous  Piozzi  lends, 
And  thither  summons  her  blue-stocking  friends  ; 
The  summons  her  blue-stocking  friends  obey, 
Lured  by  the  love  of  poetry — and  tea. 

The  bard  steps  forth  in  birthday  splendour  drest. 
His  right  hand  graceful  waving  o'er  his  breast, 
His  left  extending,  so  that  all  may  see 
A  roll  inscribed,   '  The  Wreath  of  Liberty.' 
So  forth  he  steps,  and  with  complacent  air. 
Bows  round  the  circle,  and  assumes  the  chair ; 
With  lemonade  he  gargles  first  his  throat, 
Then  sweetly  preludes  to  the  liquid  note  : 
And  now  'lis  silence  all.     '  Genius  or  muse' — 
Thus  while  the  flowery  subject  he  pursues, 
A  wild  delirium  round  th'  assembly  flies  ; 
Unusual  lustre  shoots  from  Emma's  eyes  ; 
Luxurious  Arno  drivels  as  he  stands  ; 
And  Anna  frisks,  and  Laura  claps  her  hands. 

Hear  now  our  guests  : — •  The  critics,  sir,  they  cry, 

Merit  like  yours  the  critics  may  deiy  • ' 

But  this  indeed  they  say,  '  Your  varied  rhymes. 

At  once  the  boast  and  envy  of  the  times, 

In  every  page,  song,  sonnet,  what  you  will, 

Show  boundless  genius  and  unrivalled  skill.' 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  97 

Thus  fooled,  the  moon-struck  tribe,  whose  best  essays 

Sunk  in  acrostics  and  in  roundelays, 

To  loftier  labours  now  pretend  a  call, 

And  bustle  in  heroics  one  and  aU. 

E'en  Bertie  burns  of  gods  and  chiefs  to  sing — 

Bertie  who  lately  twittered  to  the  string 

His  namby-pamby  madrigals  of  love, 

In  the  dark  dingles  of  a  glittering  grove, 

Where  airy  lays,  wove  by  the  hand  of  morn, 

Were  hung  to  dry  upon  a  cobweb  thorn  ! 

Happy  the  soil  where  bards  like  mushrooms  rise. 

And  ask  no  culture  but  what  Byshe  supplies  ! 

Happier  the  bards  who,  write  whate'er  they  will, 

Find  gentle  readers  to  admire  them  still ! 

Oh  for  the  good  old  times  !  when  all  was  new, 

And  ever}''  hour  brought  prodigies  to  view, 

Our  sires  in  unaffected  language  told 

Of  streams  of  amber,  and  of  rocks  of  gold  ; 

Full  of  their  theme,  they  spurned  all  idle  art ; 

And  the  plain  tale  was  trusted  to  tlie  heart. 

Now  all  is  changed  !     We  fume  and  fret,  poor  elves  ; 

Less  to  display  our  subject  than  ourselves  : 

Whate'er  we  paint — a  grot,  a  flower,  a  bird. 

Heavens  !  how  we  sweat,  laboriously  absurd  ! 

Words  of  gigantic  bulk,  and  uncouth  sound, 

In  rattling  triads  the  long  sentence  bound  ; 

While  points  with  points,  with  periods  periods  jar. 

And  the  whole  work  seems  one  continued  war  ! " 

iSTot  less  poetical,  and  certainly  much  more  pleasaflt 
in  its  tone,  is  this  reminiscence  of  his  early  friendship 
with  Dr.  Ireland: — 

"  Chief  thou,  my  friend  !  who  from  my  earliest  years 
Hast  shared  my  joys,  and  more  than  shared  my  cares 
Sure,  if  our  fates  hang  on  some  hidden  power, 
And  take  their  colour  from  the  natal  hour, 
Then,  Ireland,  the  same  planet  on  us  rose, 
Sueh  the  strong  sympathies  our  lives  disclose  f 

G 


98  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Thou  knowest  how  soon  we  felt  this  influence  bhmd, 
And  sought  the  brook  and  coppice,  hand  in  hand, 
And  shaped  rude  bows,  and  uncouth  whistles  blew, 
And  paper  kites — a  last  great  effort — flew  ; 
And  when  the  day  was  done,  retired  to  rest, 
Sleep  on  our  eyes,  and  sunshine  in  our  breast. 
In  riper  years,  again  together  thrown, 
Our  studies,  as  our  sports  before,  were  one. 
Together  we  explored  the  stoic  page 
Of  the  Ligurian,  stern  though  bearless  sage  ! 
Or  traced  the  Aquinian  through  the  Latine  road, 
And  trembled  at  the  lashes  he  bestowed. 
Together,  too,  when  Greece  unlocked  her  stores. 
We  roved  in  thought  o'er  Troy's  devoted  shores, 
Or  followed,  while  he  sought  his  native  soil, 
'  That  old  man  eloquent '  from  toil  to  toil  ; 
Lingering,  with  good  Alcinous  o'er  the  tale. 
Till  the  east  reddened  and  the  stars  grew  pale." 

The  tenderness  of  his  nature  is  also  shown  in  the 
lines  he  wrote  for  the  tombstone  of  his  faithful  servant 
Ann  Davies  : — 

"  Though  here  unknown,  dear  Ann,  thy  ashes  rest, 
Siill  lives  thy  memory  in  one  grateful  breast, 
That  traced  thy  course  through  many  a  painful  year. 
And  marked  thy  humble  hope,  thy  pious  fear. 
Oh  !  when  this  frame  which  yet  while  life  remained. 
Thy  duteous  love  with  trembling  hand  sustained. 
Dissolves — as  soon  it  must — may  that  blest  Power 
Who  beamed  on  thine,  illume  my  parting  hour  ! 
So  shall  I  greet  thee  where  no  ills  annoy, 
And  what  was  sown  in  grief  is  reaped  in  joy  ; 
Where  worth,  obscured  Ijelow,  bursts  into  day. 
And  those  are  paid  whom  earth  could  never  pay." 


IRobert  Bloomficl^ 

THE    SHOEMAKER   WHO    WROTE    "  THE    FARMER'S    BOY." 


"  Crispin's  sons 
Have  from  uncounted  time,  with  ale  and  buns, 
Cherished  the  gift  of  song,  which  sorrow  quells  ; 
And,  working  single  in  their  low-built  ceils, 
Oft  cheat  the  tedium  of  a  winter's  night 
With  anthems." 

— Charles  Lamb:  Album  Verses,  1830,  p.  57. 

"  I  have  received  many  honourable  testimonies  of  esteem  from 
strangers  ;  letters  without  a  name,  but  filled  with  the  most  cordial 
advice,  and  almost  parental  anxiety  for  my  safety  under  so  great  a 
share  of  public  applause.  I  beg  to  refer  such  friends  to  the  great 
teacher.  Time  ;  and  hope  that  lie  will  hereafter  give  me  my  deserts, 
and  no  more." — Robert  Bloomjltld,  Preface  to  "  Rural  Tales,'''  Sept. 
29,  iSoi. 

"  No  pompous  learning — no  parade 
Of  pedantry  and  cumbrous  lore. 
On  thy  elastic  bosom  weigh'd- ; 
Instead,  were  thine,  a  mazy  store 
Of  feelings  delicately  wrought, 
And  treasures  gleaned  by  silent  thought. 

"  Obscurity,  and  low-born  care. 
Labour,  and  want — all  adverse  things, 
Combined  to  bow  thee  to  despair  ; 
And  of  her  young  untutor'd  wings 
To  rob  thy  Genius. — 'Twas  in  vain  : 
With  one  proud  soar  she  burst  her  chain  !  " 

— Blackwood's  Magazine,  Sept.  1823. 


(       lOI 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 

E  have  now  to  speak  of  a  shoemaker-poet. 
The  name  of  Eobert  Bloomfield,  the  author 
of  the  "  Farmer's  Boy,"  is  known  and  hehl 
in  honour  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken. 
All  classes  of  readers  admire  his  poetry,  although  it  is 
not  of  the  highest  order  of  merit.  It  has,  however, 
a  genuine  quality  which  no  one  possessed  of  poetical 
taste  .can  fail  to  recognise.  Its  chief  features  are 
delightful  rustic  simplicity  and  naturalness,  faithful 
reflection  of  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  the  charms 
which  belong  to  rural  occupations.  The  romantic  side 
of  the  life  of  a  fanner's  boy  is  given  in  the  poem 
bearing  that  name,  as  we  have  it  nowhere  else  in  all 
our  poetic  or  prose  literature. 

Bloomfield,  though  surrounded  by  the  most  un- 
favourable conditions,  as  a  writer  of  poetry  seems  to 
have  experienced  no  difficulty  in  executing  his  task. 
His  was  indeed  a  case  in  which  the  adage  is  well 
illustrated — pocta  nasrAtur  non  jit — a  poet  is  born,  not 
made.  He  was  born  with  the  sift  of  son^^.  It  wouhl 
have  been  difficult  for  him  to  restrain  its  exercise. 
He  made  poetry,  as  the  song-birds  sing,  by  instinct 
and  irresistible  impulse.  For  him  the  words  are  quite 
as  true  as  they  are  of  the  greater  poet  who  wrote  them,^ 

^  Tennyson,  "  In  Memoriaui,"  stan/.a  x.\i. 


I02  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"  I  do  but  sing  because  I  must, 
And  pipe  but  as  the  linnets  sing." 

Eobert  Bloomfield  was  born  and  brought  up  in  the 
lovely  neighbourhood  of  Honington,  Ixworth  and  Sapis- 
ton,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  of  Suffolk. 
An  idea  of  the  quiet  beauty  of  the  woodland  scenery 
of  Suffolk  may  be  obtained  from  the  paintings  of  Gains- 
borough, another  notable  man  whom  this  county  has 
produced.  Gainsborough,  as  a  boy  full  of  yearnings 
after  art,  loved  to  spend  his  time  in  the  woods  and  pas- 
tures round  Sudbury,  sketching  trees,  brooks,  meadow- 
landscapes,  cattle,  shepherds,  or  ploughmen  at  their 
work  in  the  fields.  He  was  at  the  height  of  his  fame 
as  a  painter,  when  Bloomfield  was  a  farmer's  boy  at 
Sapistou,  on  the  Grafton  estate.  It  is  interesting  to 
know  that  these  two  Suffolk  men  were  contemporary, 
"  the  first  truly  original  English  painter,"  who  took  his 
lessons  direct  from  nature,  and  the  first  genuine  poet 
of  the  English  farm  and  field. 

Bloomfield's  father  was  a  tailor  at  Honington,  near 
Bury  St.  Edmund's.  Eobert  was  born  in  1766.  His 
father  died  at  the  end  of  the  following  year,  leaving 
Eobert  and  five  other  children  to  the  care  of  their 
mother.  She  was  a  worthy,  estimable  woman,  who 
managed  by  her  own  unaided  efforts,  not  only  to 
maintain  her  little  family,  but  to  give  each  of  her 
children  the  rudiments  of  an  education.  This  she 
accomplished  by  opening  a  school,  and  teaching  her 
own  children  along  with  the  rest.  With  the  exception 
of  a  few  months'  instruction  in  writing  from  a  school- 
master at  Ixworth,  the  future  poet  learnt  from  his 
mother  all  he  knew  when  he  left  his  home  to  earn  his 
own  living.     This  he  did  at  the   age   of   eleven,  his 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  103 

mother,  who  had  married  again,  being  no  longer  able 
to  keep  him  at  home,  or  put  him  to  a  good  schooL 
His  maternal  uncle,  a  Mr.  Austin  of  Sapiston,  agreed 
to  take  him  as  a  boy  about  the  farm,  and  allow  him 
to  live  in  the  house  with  the  rest  of  the  family.  He 
appears  to  have  received  no  wages,  his  "  board  "  being 
the  only  allowance  made  for  the  work  he  did  as  a 
farmer's  boy ;  and  this  could  hardly  be  much  at  such 
an  age.  He  remained  in  this  situation  four  years, 
until  he  was  fifteen.  It  was  during  these  four  years 
of  boyhood  he  picked  up  the  knowledge  of  farm-life, 
and  made  the  observations  on  the  varied  phases  of 
nature  and  the  seasons  which  are  delightfully  inter- 
woven in  the  four  books  of  his  well-known  poem, 
"  The  Farmer's  Boy."  How  observant  he  must  have 
been,  how  eagerly  he  must  have  entered  into  the 
pleasures  of  rural  life,  how  keen  must  have  been  his 
boyish  sense  of  the  beautiful  and  romantic,  may  be 
imagined  by  those  who  consider  the  circumstances  in 
the  midst  of  which,  in  after  years,  he  composed  that 
charming  poem. 

His  mother  had  undertaken  to  provide  him  with 
clothing  while  with  his  uncle  at  the  farm  ;  but  this 
small  expense  was  found  to  be  too  much  for  her 
scanty  means.  Eobert  at  that  time  had  two  brothers, 
George  and  Nathaniel,  living  in  London,  and  working, 
the  one  as  a  journeyman  shoemaker,  and  the  other  as  a 
tailor.  To  them  the  anxious  mother  applied  for  help 
in  her  difficulties,  stating  in  her  letter  that  Mr.  Austin 
had  said  Robert  was  so  small  and  weakly,  it  was  to  be 
feared  he  would  never  be  able  to  obtain  his  living  by 
hard  out-door  labour.  The  brothers  at  once  agreed  to 
take  him  under  their  care,  find  him  in  food  and  cloth- 


I04  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

ing,  and  teach  him  the  craft  of  shoemaking  until  he 
should  be  able  to  obtain  his  own  livelihood.  Full  of 
solicitude  for  his  safety  and  well-being,  the  good 
woman  took  him  up  to  London  herself,  and  handed 
him  over  to  the  guardianship  of  her  two  eldest  sons, 
begging  them,  "  as  they  valued  a  mother's  blessing,  to 
watch  over  him,  to  set  good  examples  for  him,  and 
never  to  forget  that  he  had  lost  his  father." 

George  Bloomfield  and  his  brother  were  then  living 
at  No.  7  Pitcher's  Court,  Bell  Alley,  Coleman  Street, 
in  a  garret  which  served  both  as  workshop  and  bed- 
room. The  place  was  dingy  and  gloomy,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  bright,  thoughtful  Suffolk  lad  a  mournful 
contrast  to  the  pleasant  surroundings  in  the  old  farm- 
house at  Sapiston.  ISTor  could  it  have  been  a  very 
healthy  abode,  for  Jive  workmen  occupied  the  room  dur- 
ing the  day,  "clubbing together," after  the  fashion  of  such 
workmen  in  those  days,  to  lighten  the  burden  of  rent. 

At  first  the  new-comer  was  chiefly  employed  by  the 
older  men  as  their  errand-boy,  being  rewarded  for  his 
trouble  by  receiving  lessons  from  the  workmen  in  the 
art  of  shoemaking.  These  men,  like  so  many  of  their 
craft,  were  of  a  thoughtful  turn  of  mind,  and  very  eager 
for  the  news  of  the  day.  It  had  been  their  custom  to 
have  the  yesterday's  paper  brought  in  with  their  dinner 
by  the  pot-boy  from  a  neighbouring  public-house. 
Until  Robert  came  they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  read- 
ing it  by  turns,  but  now,  as  his  time  was  less  valuable 
than  theirs,  the  office  of  reader  was  permanently  handed 
over  to  him.  This  duty  was  of  much  service  to  him, 
for  the  information  he  gained  by  reading  disciplined 
his  young  mind  to  close  and  continuous  thought,  and 
enlarcjed   his  knowledge   of  his  own  language.     The 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  105 

simple  account,  given  by  his  brother  George,  of  these 
social  readings  in  the  cobblers'  workroom,  and  other 
means  of  instruction  of  which  Eobert  availed  himself, 
is  full  of  interest.  George  Bloomfield  says  :  "  He  fre- 
quently met  with  words  that  he  was  unacquainted 
with ;  of  this  he  often  complained.  I  one  day  hap- 
pened at  a  book-stall  to  see  a  small  dictionary  which 
had  been  very  ill-used.  I  bought  it  for  him  for  four- 
pence.  By  the  help  of  this  he  in  a  little  time  could 
read  and  comprehend  the  long  and  beautiful  speeches 
of  Burke,  Fox,  or  North."  And  again  :  "  One  Sunday, 
after  a  whole  day's  stroll  in  the  country,  we  by  acci- 
dent went  into  a  Dissenting  meeting-house  in  the  Old 
Jewry,  where  a  gentleman  was  lecturing.  This  man 
filled  Ptobert  with  astonishment.  The  house  was 
amazingly  crowded  with  the  most  genteel  people  ;  and 
though  we  were  forced  to  stand  in  the  aisle,  and  were 
much  pressed,  yet  Eobert  always  quickened  his  steps 
to  get  into  the  town  on  a  Sunday  evening  soon  enough 
to  attend  this  lecture.  The  preacher's  name  was 
Fawcet.  His  language  was  just  such  as  the  '  Eam- 
bler '  is  written  in.  .  .  .  Of  him  Eobert  learned  to 
accent  what  he  called  hard  words,  and  otherwise  to 
improve  himself,  and  gained  the  most  enlarged  notions 
of  Providence." 

Bloomfield's  reading  was  not  very  extensive  nor 
diversified  during  these  early  years  of  his  London  life, 
yet  it  was  sufticient  to  whet  his  appetite  for  mental 
improvement,  and  give  him  no  small  degree  of  literary 
taste  and  skill.  The  brothers  took,  in  sixpenny 
numbers,  such  works  as  a  "  History  of  England,"  "  The 
British  Traveller,"  and  a  "  Treatise  on  Geography." 
These  were  read  aloud  to  the  little  company  of  busy 


lo6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

listeners,  several  hours  of  tlie  day  being  occupied  with 
the  task.  His  first  poetic  impulse  was  awakened  by 
the  perusal  of  the  "  London  Magazine,"  which  found 
its  way  at  this  time  into  the  cobblers'  garret.  Eobert 
always  read  it  with  zest,  carefully  scanning  the  reviews 
of  books,  and  never  failing  to  look  into  the  "  Poets' 
Corner."  One  day  he  surprised  his  brother  by  repeat- 
ing a  song  which  he  had  composed  after  the  manner 
of  Burns  and  so  many  other  graceful  songsters,  "  to 
an  old  tune."  George  was  as  much  delighted  as  sur- 
prised at  his  young  brother's  smooth  and  easy  verses, 
and  encouraged  him  to  try  the  experiment  of  sending 
them  to  the  editor.  Tiiis  he  did  with  many  fears  and 
hopes,  and  nervously  awaited  the  issue  of  the  next 
number.  To  his  intense  delight,  and  the  pardonable 
pride  of  the  whole  company,  the  verses  appeared  in 
print.  As  a  specimen  of  his  first  literary  attempt, 
every  youth  will  deem  them  worth  recording,  and  will 
read  them  with  pleasure.  They  bear  the  modest 
title  "  A  Village  Girl,"  and  are  signed  with  the  letters 
E.  13. 

"  Hail  May  !  lovely  ]\Iay  !  bow  replenished  my  pails, 
The  young  dawn  o'erspreads  the  broad  east  streaked  with 

gold! 
My  glad  heart  beats  time  to  the  laugh  of  the  vales, 
And  Colin's  voice  rings  through  the  wood  from  the  fold. 

The  wood  to  the  mountain  submissively  bends, 
Whose  blue  misty  summit  first  glows  with  the  sun  ; 
See  !  thence  a  gay  train  by  the  wild  rill  descends 
To  join  the  mixed  sports  : — Hark  !  the  tunuilt's  begun. 

Be  cloudless,  ye  skies  !  and  be  Colin  but  there  ; 
Not  dew-spangled  bents  on  the  wide  level  dale, 
Nor  morning's  first  smile  can  more  lovely  appear, 
Than  his  looks, — since  my  wishes  I  cannot  conceal. 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  107 

Swift  down  the  mad  dance,  whilst  blest  health  prompts  to 

move, 
We'll  count  joys  to  come,  and  exchange  vows  of  truth  ; 
And  haply,  Avhen  age  cools  the  transports  of  love, 
Decry,  like  good  folks,  the  vain  follies  of  youth." 

Another  piece  called  "  The  Sailor's  Keturn  "  found 
a  place  in  the  "  Poets'  Corner."  These  efforts  were 
enough  to  prove  his  taste  and  gifts  as  a  versifier. 
The  poetic  power  was  latent  in  his  mind,  and  only 
needed  sufficient  stimulus  to  bring  it  into  full  exer- 
cise. This  stimulus  came,  as  was  natural,  from  the 
reading  of  poetry  itself.  A  copy  of  Thomson's 
"  Seasons  "  and  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost "  fell  into  his 
hands  when  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age. 
They  belonged  to  a  Scotchman  who  lived  and  worked 
at  a  house  in  Bell  Alley,  to  which  the  shoemakers 
removed  about  this  time.  The  eager  youth  read  them 
with  the  passion  of  a  born  poet ;  and,  as  he  read,  the 
fire  burned  within.  His  imagination  was  now  fairly 
awakened,  and  it  was  plain  to  all  who  watched  him 
intelligently  at  this  time,  that  melodies  were  being 
awakened  in  his  heart  that  sooner  or  later  must  find 
their  expression  in  song.  The  "  Seasons "  was  his 
favourite  poem.  He  read  and  re-read  its  glowing 
descriptions  of  nature,  committed  favourite  portions  to 
memory,  and  never  tired  of  recounting  its  beauties  in 
the  hearing  of  his  sympathetic  friends.  The  "  Seasons" 
struck  the  keynote  of  the  "  Farmer's  Boy,"  though 
Bloomfield  was  no  imitator  of  Thomson,  nor  of  any  one 
else,  in  either  matter  or  manner.  The  thought  and 
style  of  these  two  poets  of  nature  are  as  unlike  as 
their  kindred  subjects  would  allow  them  to  be. 
Thomson's   music  is   that  of  a  majestic   and    stately 


io8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

oratorio,  while  Bloomfield  sings  a  sweet  and  simple 
pastoral  symphony. 

But  the  young  poet  was  not  yet  to  enter  on  his 
great  task.  Fourteen  years  passed  away  before  his 
first  and  best  published  poem,  the  "  Farmer's  Boy,"  saw 
the  light.  During  this  time  several  important  events 
in  his  history  occurred.  In  his  eighteenth  year,  in 
consequence  of  certain  disputes  in  the  shoemakers' 
trade  about  the  legality  of  employing  boys  who  had 
not  been  bound  as  apprentices,  he  went  back  again  to 
Suffolk  for  a  short  time,  and  was  taken  into  the  home 
of  his  uncle  and  former  master,  Mr.  Austin  of  Sapiston. 
Here  for  two  months  of  happy  leisure  he  roamed  the 
fields  where  he  spent  so  much  of  his  time  as  a  boy, 
reviving  old  impressions,  and  deepening  in  his  mind 
that  keen  sense  of  the  beautiful  which  city  life  and 
the  imprisonment  of  a  shoemaker's  occupation  had  not 
been  sufficient  to  destroy.  His  companion  at  this 
time  was  still  the  favourite  "  Seasons,"  from  which,  in 
the  presence  of  the  very  charms  which  Thomson  de- 
scribes, the  ardent  youth  derived  new  pleasure  and 
inspiration. 

The  trade  difficulty  was  got  over  by  his  becoming 
an  apprentice  for  the  remaining  three  years  of  his 
minority  to  a  Mr.  Duddridge,  brother  to  George's 
former  landlord.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  left 
alone  in  London,  George  having  removed  to  Bury  St. 
Edmunds  in  his  own  county,  and  Nathaniel  having 
married  and  gone  into  housekeeping.  Eobert  now 
took  to  the  study  of  music,  and  became  an  expert 
player  on  the  violin.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  h^e 
married  the  daughter  of  a  boat-builder  at  Woolwich 
named   Church.     "  I  have  sold  my  fiddle  and  got  a 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  109 

wife,"  he  humorously  writes  to  his  brother.  At  first 
his  home  was  in  furnished  lodgings,  hut  by  dint  of 
hard  work  and  strict  economy  he  managed  in  a  short 
time  to  furnish  one  room  on  the  first  floor  of  a  house 
in  Bell  Alley,  Coleman  Street,"  the  old  quarters  to 
which  he  had  come  fresh  from  the  country  on  his  first 
becoming  a  shoemaker.  His  landlord  kindly  allowed 
him  the  free  use  of  a  garret  to  work  in  during  the 
day.  "  In  this  garret,"  says  his  brother,  "  amid  six  or 
seven  other  workmen,  his  active  mind  employed  itself 
in  composing  the  '  Farmer's  Boy.' "  How  long  his 
mind  was  occupied  in  this  task  we  cannot  tell.  One 
could  hardly  wonder  if  the  process  of  composition  was 
slow  in  the  midst  of  such  distracting  and  unfavourable 
circumstances.  The  marvel  is  that  it  should  have 
been  composed  at  all  under  such  uncongenial  and 
dilScult  conditions.  So  hard  pressed  for  time  was  the 
poor  poet-shoemaker,  and  so  unable  to  find  the  proper 
materials  for  writing,  that  he  is  said  to  have  made  up 
and  kept  in  his  mind  no  less  than  600  lines,  that 
is,  about  the  ha/f  of  his  poem,  before  he  could  manage 
to  write  it  down.  And  when  he  did  this,  he  was  glad 
to  lay  hold  of  any  odd  scrap  of  paper  for  the  purpose ; 
the  back  of  a  letter  or  a  printed  bill,  the  margin  of 
newspapers,  pieces  of  pattern-paper,  were  seized  as  they 
came  to  hand  and  covered  with  writing,  and  then 
hidden  away  in  cupboards,  and  occasionally  even  in 
some  chink  in  the  wall,  until  they  could  be  collected 
and  arranged  for  a  fair  copy,  suitable  to  go  into  the 
hands  of  the  printer.  It  was  indeed  a  wonderful 
exhibition  of  mental  abstraction  and  retentive  memory. 
Few,  even  among  poets,  could  have  wrought  to  any 
purpose    amid   the    din   and    conversation    of  a  shoe- 


no  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

maker's  workroom,  and  still  fewer,  even  if  the  excite- 
ment of  poetic  thought  had  enabled  them  to  compose, 
could  have  treasured  up  their  productions  in  the 
memory  until  they  amounted  to  600  lines.  A  friend 
of  Bloomfield  named  Swan,  writing  to  Mr.  Capel 
Lofft,  says,  "  Bloomfield,  either  from  the  contracted 
state  of  his  pecuniary  resources  to  purchase  paper, 
or  for  other  reasons,  composed  the  latter  part  of 
*  Autumn '  and  the  whole  of  '  Winter '  in  his  head, 
without  committing  one  line  to  paper !  This  cannot 
fail  to  surprise  the  literary  world,  who  are  well 
acquainted  with  the  treacherousness  of  memory,  and 
how  soon  the  most  happy  ideas,  for  want  of  sufficient 
quickness  in  writing  down,  are  lost  in  the  rapidity 
of  thought.  But  this  is  not  all — he  went  a  step 
further ;  he  not  only  composed  and  committed  that 
part  of  his  w^ork  to  his  faithful  and  retentive  memory ; 
but  he  corrected  it  all  in  his  head !  !  ! — and,  as  he 
said,  when  it  was  thus  j^repared,  '  I  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  write  it  down.'  By  this  new  and  wonderful 
mode  of  composition,  he  studied  and  completed  his 
'  Farmer's  Boy,'  in  a  garret,  among  six  or  seven  of 
his  fellow-workmen,  without  their  ever  once  suspecting 
or  knowing  anything  of  the  matter  !  "  ^ 

Bloomfield  was  thirty-two  years  of  age  when  his 
poem  was  complete  and  attempts  were  being  made  to 
find  a  printer  and  publisher.  These  attempts  were 
for  a  time  fruitless.  One  after  another  the  publishers 
rejected  the  "  copy "  of  the  unknown  writer.  At 
length,  it  was  sent  by  George  Bloomfield,  who  always 
had  full  confidence  in  Robert's  powers,  to  a  gentleman 

1  "  Lives  of  Eminent  Englishmen."  Fullarton  &  Co.,  1838.  Vol.  viii. 
p.  245.  See  also  "  Views  Illustrative  of  Works  of  Robert  Bloomfield," 
by  E.  W.  Brayley.     London  :  1S06,  p.  17. 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  1 1 1 

of  literary  tastes  living  at  Troston  Hall,  near  Bury,  in 
Suffolk, — Mr.  Capel  Lofft.  This  gentleman  had  the  good 
sense  at  once  to  perceive  the  genuine  merits  of  the  poem 
submitted  to  his  judgment,  and  to  recommend  its  pub- 
lication. By  his  kind  influence  and  aid  a  publisher  was 
soon  found.  Messrs.  Vernon  &  Hood  paid  the  poet 
^50  for  his  copy,  and  afterwards,  when  the  poem 
proved  a  success,  honourably  advanced  an  additional 
^200,  besides  giving  the  author  an  interest  in  his 
copyright. 

The  success  of  the  poem  was  immediate  and  com- 
plete. It  was  warmly  received  by  the  public,  and 
praised  in  all  quarters  as  a  masterpiece  of  natural 
poetic  simplicity  and  beauty.  Twenty-six  thousand 
copies  were  sold  in  the  first  three  years  of  its  issue, 
seven  .editions  having  been  called  for.  The  position 
secured  by  the  "  Farmer's  Boy"  on  its  first  publication 
has  been  held  until  the  present  day.  All  lovers  of 
poetry  read  it  with  delight.  It  is  natural  and  graceful 
as  the  song  of  a  bird  "  warbling  his  native  woodnotes 
wild."  When  the  English  song-bird  sings  in  captivity 
there  seems  to  be  a  touch  of  pathos  in  his  note ;  and 
one  can  hardly  resist  the  same  impression  in  reading 
these  sweet  rustic  melodies  in  verse  which  came  from 
the  lips  of  the  shoemaker-poet  imprisoned  in  a  London 
garret.  Yet  there  is  something  much  more  stimulating 
in  Bloomfield's  lines  than  this.  They  are  sweet  and 
joyous,  and  full  of  that  glowing  enthusiasm  for  beauty 
which  all  fine  natures  feel.  Besides  the  editions  sent 
forth  in  this  country,  the  "Farmer's  Boy"  was  printed 
at  Leipsic,  and  was  translated  into  French,  Italian, 
and  Latin. 

Bloomfield  now  had  many  friends  as  well  as  admirers. 


112  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

The  Duke  of  Grafton,  on  whose  estate  he  had  been 
employed  as  a  boy,  settled  upon  him  a  small  annuity, 
and  used  his  iniiuence  to  obtain  for  him  a  post  at  the 
seal-office  at  is.  per  day.  In  addition  to  this,  Bloom- 
field  received  frequent  presents  from  the  nobility,  and 
even  from  members  of  the  royal  family.  To  the  poor 
shoemaker,  accustomed  to  the  utmost  obscurity,  all 
this  success,  and  popularity,  and  patronage  "  appeared," 
to  use  his  own  language,  "  like  a  dream." 

In  after  years  he  issued  a  number  of  small  volumes 
of  poetry,  in  which  are  found  several  shorter  pieces 
of  great  merit,  such  as  the  two  descriptive  or  ballad 
pieces  "  Eichard  and  Kate,"  "  The  Fakenham  Ghost," 
or  the  exquisitely  simple  piece  called  "  The  Soldier's 
Eeturn."  The  first  of  these  is  one  of  the  best  modern 
ballads  in  the  language,  as  it  is  certainly  amongst  the 
most,  if  it  be  not  the  most,  spirited  and  original  of  his 
compositions.  Of  the  last  of  the  three  just  mentioned. 
Professor  Wilson  says : — "  The  topic  is  trite,  but  in 
Mr.  Bloomfield's  hands  it  almost  assumes  a  character 
of  novelty.  Burns'  '  Soldier's  Eeturn'  is  not,  to  our 
taste,  one  whit  superior." 

The  titles  of  the  volumes  that  followed  that  by 
which  his  fame  was  established,  are  "  Eural  Tales," 
published  in  iSo-^  ;  "  The  Banks  of  the  Wye,"  i8i  i  ; 
"  Wild  Flowers,"  and  "  May  Day  with  the  Muses," 
1822.  "Hazelwood  Hall,  a  Village  Drama,  in  Three 
Acts,"  was  published  1823,  the  year  of  his  death. 
All  these  poems  have  suice  been  issued  in  one 
volume,  to  which  is  attached  a  short  sketch  of  the 
poet's  life,  and  the  circumstances  which  attended  the 
publication  of  "  The  Farmer's  Boy."  This  account, 
given  by  Mr.  Capel  Lofft,  Bloomfield's  kind  friend  and 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  113 

patron,  is  full  of  interest.  It  serves  to  show  tlie 
value  of  a  judicious  friend  to  a  young  aspirant  for 
literary  fame,  whose  talents  deserve  recognition,  but 
whose  position  in  life  prevents  him  taking  the  neces- 
sary steps  to  become  known  to  the  world. 

The  last  twenty  years  of  Bloomfield's  life  were 
embittered  by  affliction  and  misfortunes  in  business. 
He  did  not  long  retain  his  position  at  the  Seal  Office, 
being  obliged  to  abandon  it  through  continual  ill- 
health.  After  resuming  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker  for 
a  short  time,  he  was  induced  to  open  a  shop  as  a 
bookseller,  but  this  speculation  brought  him  only  dis- 
appointment and  loss.  His  son,  who  was  a  printer, 
states  that  about  this  time  the  poets  Rogers  and 
Southey  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  their 
poor  suffering  brother  poet.  Rogers,  it  seems,  tried 
to  obtain  him  a  government  pension,  but  without 
success.  At  length  he  removed  from  London  to  try 
the  effect  of  the  fresh  air  and  quietude  of  country 
life.  His  last  years  were  spent  as  a  shoemaker  at 
Shefford-cum-Campton,  Bed's.  Toward  the  close  of  liis 
life  he  was  in  great  want  and  distress,  having  reaped 
little  permanent  gain  from  his  numerous  and  popular 
poems.  So  intense  was  the  strain  of  mind  he  endured 
from  overwork,  ill-health,  and  anxiety,  that  his  friends 
entertained  gravQ  fears  of  his  becoming  insane.  Death 
w^as  preferable  to  such  a  life, — the  death  wliich  is  for 
men  of  Christian  faith  and  character,  like  Rloomfield, 
the  gate  to  a  higher  and  happier  life.  Providentially 
for  him,  that  gate  was  opened  when  life  here  had 
become  a  burden  too  grievous  to  be  borne.  He  died 
at  Shefford,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  August 
19,  1823,  and  was  buried  in  the  Campton  churchyard. 

H 


114  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Bloomfi eld's  character,  unlike  tliat  of  many  of  tlie 
more  celebrated  poets  of  his  own  day,  exhibited  a  fair 
and  lovely  type  of  moral  excellence.  He  was  genu- 
inely modest,  affectionate,  industrious,  and  pious.  None 
regarded  him  with  more  respect  and  love  than  those 
who  knew  him  most  intimately.  This  fact  speaks 
strongly  for  his  real  worth.  His  own  brothers  held 
him  in  the  greatest  esteem,  and  felt  the  most  generous 
and  hearty  pleasure  in  his  literary  success.  His  gene- 
rosity to  his  needy  relatives,  who  were  very  numerous, 
often  crippled  his  resources,  and,  indeed,  left  him  at 
times  as  poor  as  those  he  had  befriended.  We  have 
noticed  how  much  he  owed  in  early  life  to  the  loving 
care  and  good  sense  of  an  excellent  mother.  Bloom- 
field  never  lost  sight  of  this  fact.  Like  all  good  men, 
men  whose  lives  are  worth  study  and  imitation,  he  was 
deeply  attached  to  his  mother ;  and  it  is  well  deserv- 
ing of  record  that,  like  Buckle,  the  eminent  philoso- 
phical writer,  the  young  poet  felt  a  more  exquisite 
pleasure  in  placing  his  first  published  work  in  the 
hands  of  his  mother  than  in  the  anticipation  of  any 
fame  or  advantage  it  might  secure  for  himself  as  the 
author.  When  the  first  edition  was  issued  a  copy  of 
it  was  sent  to  his  mother,  accompanied  by  these  simple 
lines,  which  faithfully  reflect  at  once  the  character  of 
the  true  mother  and  the  devoted  son  : — 

"  '  To  peace  and  virtue  still  be  true,' 
An  anxious  mother  ever  cries, 
"Who  needs  no  'present  to  renew 
Parental  love — which  never  dies." 

Many  tributes  of  esteem,  both  in  prose  and  verse, 
were  paid  to  Bloomfield  during  his  life  and  after  his 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  115 

death.  None  of  these  was  of  more  vahie  than  the 
brief  sentence  written  by  his  constant  friend  and  first 
literary  patron,  Mr.  Capel  Lofft,  who  says,  "  It  is  much 
to  be  a  poet,  such  as  he  will  be  found :  it  is  mucli 
more  to  be  such  a  man."  The  lines  which  appeared 
in  "  Blackwood's  Magazine,"  the  month  after  Bloom- 
field's  death,  exactly  describe  the  chief  features  of  tlie 
poet's  life  and  work  : — 

"  No  pompous  learning — no  parade 

Of  pedantry,  and  cumbrous  lore, 
On  thy  elastic  bosom  -weighed  ; 

Instead,  were  tbine  a  mazy  store 
Of  feelings  delicately  wrought, 
And  treasures  gleaned  by  silent  thought. 

Obscurity,  and  low-born  care, 

Labour,  and  want — all  adverse  things, 

Combined  to  bow  thee  to  despair  ; 
And  of  her  young  untutored  wings 

To  rob  thy  genius.     'Twas  in  vain  : 

With  one  proud  soar  she  burst  her  chain  ! 

The  beauties  of  the  budding  spring  ; 

Tbe  glories  of  the  summer's  reign  ; 
The  russet  autumn  triumphing 

In  ripened  fruits  and  golden  grain  ; 
Winter  with  storms  around  his  shrine, 
Each,  in  their  turn,  were  themes  of  thine. 

And  lowly  life,  the  peasant's  lot. 
Its  humble  hopes  and  simple  joys  ; 

By  mountain- stream  the  shepherd's  cot. 
And  what  the  rustic  hour  employs  ; 

White  flocks  on  Nature's  carpet  spread  ; 

Birds  blithlely  caroling  o'er  head  ; 

These  were  thy  themes,  and  thou  wert  blessed- 
Yes,  blessed  beyond  the  wealth  of  kings. 


ii6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Calm  joy  is  seated  in  the  breast 

Of  the  rapt  poet  as  he  siugs, 
And  all  that  Truth  or  Hope  can  bring 
Of  Beauty,  gilds  the  muse's  wings. 

And,  Bloomfield,  thine  were  blissful  days, 
(If  flowers  of  bliss  may  thrive  on  earth)  ; 

Thine  were  the  glory  and  the  praise 
Of  genius  linked  with  modest  worth  ; 

To  wisdom  wed,  remote  from  strife, 

Calmly  passed  o'er  thy  stormless  life." 

During  the  lifetime  of  Bloomfield,  another  young 
and  ohscure  poet,  Henry  Kirke  Wliite  of  Nottingham, 
was  indebted  to  Bloomfield's  patrons,  Mr.  Lofft  and 
Eobert  Southey,  for  his  introduction  to  the  public. 
After  reading  "  The  Farmer's  Boy  "  and  "  Eural  Tales," 
White  wrote  the  following  clever  epigram,  the  senti- 
ment of  which  all  admirers  of  the  shoemaker-poet  will 
heartily  indorse  : — 

"  Bloomfield,  thy  happy  omened  name 
Ensures  continuance  to  thy  fame  ; 
Both  sense  and  truth  this  verdict  give, 
While  fields  shall  bloom,  thy  name  shall  live." 


Samuel  Drew, 

THE    METAPHYSICAL    SHOEMAKER. 


"  Secure  to  yourself  a  livelihood  independent  of  literary  success, 
and  put"into  this  lottery  only  the  overplus  of  time.  Woe  to  him  who 
depends  wholly  on  his  pen  !  Nothing  is  more  casual.  The  man  who 
makes  shoes  is  sure  of  his  wages  :  the  man  who  writes  a  book  is  never 
sure  of  anything." — Marmontcl. 

"Hereafter,  I  believe,  some  metaphysical  Columbus  will  arise, 
traverse  vast  oceans  of  thought,  and  explore  regions  now  undiscovered, 
to  which  our  little  minds  and  weak  ideas  do  not  enable  us  to  soar." — 
Samuel  Drew. 


(      119     ) 


SAMUEL  DREW. 

JKK  life  of  Samuel  Drew,  the  author  of  a  once 
famous  book,  "  The  Immateriality  and  Im- 
mortality of  the  Soul,"  is  in  some  respects 
as  remarkable  as  that  of  William  Gifford,'^  and  in 
others  even  more  so.  For  Drew,  unlike  Gifford, 
received  no  collegiate  training,  nor  was  he  ever 
favoured  with  the  rudiments  of  education  in  an  ordi- 
nary boys'  school.  In  his  childhood  he  was  sent  to  a 
school  along  with  his  brothers,  but  his  childish  indif- 
ference to  learning  and  his  removal  before  he  was 
eight  years  of  age,  prevented  his  making  any  progress 
worth  speaking  of.  His  life,  published  by  his  son, 
speaks  of  him,  with  perfect  truth,  as  the  "  Self-Taught 
Cornishman." 

His  reply  to  Paine's  "  Age  of  Eeason,"  and  his  book 
on  the  "  Immortality  of  the  Soul,"  both  of  which  were 
written  and  issued  from  the  press  during  his  life  as  a 
shoemaker,  brought  him  into  notoriety,  and  obtained 
for  him  a  name  as  an  acute  thinker  and  able  contro- 
versialist. He  afterwards  published  several  theological 
works  of  great  merit,  edited  and  wrote  the  chief 
portion  of  a  history  of  Cornwall,  and  finally  became 
an  editor  on  the  staff  of  the  Caxton  press  in  Liver- 

1  See  Chapter  IV.,  William  Gifford. 


120  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

pool  and  London.  His  contributions  to  the  literature 
of  his  own  religious  denomination,  the  Wesleyan 
Methodists,  were  very  numerous ;  and  for  many  years 
he  was  a  constant  writer  in  the  "  Eclectic  Eeview." 
From  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  his  public  life 
he  was  held  in  high  esteem  as  a  preacher  in  the 
"  circuits  "  of  Cornwall,  Liverpool,  and  London.  The 
two  universities  of  Aberden  and  London  j)aid  him  a 
valuable  compliment;  the  one  conferring  on  him  the 
degree  of  A.M.,  and  the  other,  through  certain  members 
of  the  council,  requesting  him  to  be  put  in  competition 
for  the  Chair  of  Moral  Philosophy. 

But  before  all  these  things  he  was  an  earnest,  high- 
souled,  useful  Christian  man,  who  found  his  principal 
delight  in  diffusing  around  him  the  influence  of  a 
good  example  and  a  benevolent  Christ-like  spirit. 
His  best  memorials  were  inscribed  on  the  hearts  of 
the  people  amongst  whom  he  spent  his  valuable  life. 
His  writings  may  now  be  but  little  read,  and  his 
name  but  little  known  outside  the  Christian  community 
to  which  he  was  attached,  yet  he  made  a  record  as 
a  faithful  servant  of  God  that  will  never  perish,  and 
obtained  a  memorial  for  his  name  tliat  is  safe  against 
all  the  influence  of  time  and  change. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  St.  Austell, 
in  Cornwall,  on  the  3d  March  1765.  His  parents 
were  both  members  of  families  long  resident  in  Corn- 
wall. They  were  in  but  poor  circumstances,  the 
father  being  employed  chiefly  as  a  I'arm-labourer. 
Now  and  then  he  worked  in  connection  with  the 
tin  mines  of  the  neighbourhood.  Hard  work,  scant 
fare,  and  great  economy  were  necessary  to  enable  the 
parents  to  bring  up  their  young  family  respectably. 


SAMUEL  DREW.  121 

We  may  judge  of  their  circumstances  by  the  fact 
that  the  father  found  it  not  at  all  an  easy  thing 
to  carry  out  a  worthy  determination  he  had  formed 
to  send  his  three  children  to  school,  where  the  fee 
for  each  scholar  was  only  one  penny  per  week. 
Little  Sammy's  progress  hardly  compensated  for  this 
small  outlay,  for  he  was  dull  and  careless  and  shock- 
ingly fond  of  playing  truant.  However,  his  school 
life  did  not  last  long.  He  was  removed  at  the  age  of 
eight,  as  already  stated,  and  put  to  work  as  a  huddle- 
hoy.  The  pits  in  which  the  tin-ore  is  washed  after 
being  broken  up,  are  called  huddles,  and  it  was  the 
business  of  the  buddle-boy  to  stir  up  the  sediment  of 
ore  and  metal  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  in  order  that 
the  stream  of  water  which  passed  through  it  might 
carry  off  the  sandy  particles  and  leave  the  mineral 
behind.  For  this  work  Samuel  was  to  receive  three- 
halfpence  a-week.  But  the  poor  little  fellow  was  early 
taught  the  meaning  of  the  terms  "  bad  debt "  and 
"  failure  in  business."  His  master  kept  the  wages 
back,  intending  to  pay  them,  as  was  customary,  to  the 
father.  At  the  end  of  eight  weeks  the  employer 
failed,  and  Samuel  never  received  his  first  instalment 
of  wages.  When  another  man  took  the  business, 
shortly  after,  the  boys  were  paid  twopence  per  week, 
and  for  the  two  years  in  which  he  continued  at  this 
work,  the  little  buddle-boy  never  received  more  than 
this  miserable  pittance.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
Samuel  was  a  wilful  headstrong  fellow.  The  circum- 
stances which  led  to  his  removal  from  home  were 
hardly  to  his  credit.  His  own  mother  died  when  he 
was  nine  years  old.  She  was  a  good  woman,  and  took 
great  pains  to  save  her  boy  from  the  bad  influence  of 


122  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

low  company  at  the  tin-works.  Samuel,  though  young 
and  reckless,  cherished  a  deep  regard  for  his  mother. 
About  a  year  and  a  half  after  her  death  the  father 
married  again,  and  Samuel,  not  liking  the  idea  of 
having  a  "  new  mother,"  made  himself  as  obnoxious 
to  her  as  he  could.  This  improper  conduct  could  not 
be  permitted,  and  it  was  especially  wrong  in  this 
instance,  as  the  "  new  mother  "  was  very  attentive  and 
kind  to  the  children. 

"  At  the  age  of  ten  and  a  half,"  says  his  biographer, 
Samuel  "  was  apprenticed  for  nine  years  to  a  shoe- 
maker, living  in  a  sequestered  hamlet  about  three 
miles  from  St.  Austell.  His  father  and  family  at  this 
time  were  not  far  distant,  but  removing  soon  after  to 
Polpea,  in  Tywardreath,  the  poor  lad's  intercourse  with 
his  relatives  was,  in  a  great  measure,  suspended,  and 
he  felt  the  loneliness  of  his  situation." 

Drew's  apprenticeship  life  was  well-nigh  as  miserable 
and  unprofitable  as  it  could  be.  In  an  account  of  the 
hardships  he  endured  at  this  time  he  himself  says : — 
"  My  new  abode  at  St.  Blazey  and  new  engagements 
were  far  from  being  agreeable.  To  any  of  the  com- 
forts and  conveniences  of  life  I  was  an  entire  stranger, 
and  by  every  member  of  the  family  was  viewed  as  an 
underling,  come  thither  to  subserve  their  wishes,  or 
obey  their  mandates.  To  his  trade  of  shoemaker  my 
master  added  that  of  farmer.  He  had  a  few  acres  of 
"round  under  his  care,  and  was  a  sober,  industrious 
man ;  but,  unfortunately  for  me,  nearly  one  half  of  my 
time  was  taken  iip  in  agricultural  pursuits.  On  this 
account  I  made  no  proficiency  in  my  business,  and 
felt  no  solicitude  to  rise  above  the  farmers'  boys  with 
whom    I    daily   associated.     While    in    this   place   I 


SAMUEL  DREW.  123 

suffered  many  hardships.  When,  after  having  been 
in  the  fields  all  day,  I  came  home  with  cold  feet,  and 
damp  and  dirty  stockings,  I  was  permitted,  if  the  oven 
had  been  heated  during  the  day,  to  throw  them  into 
it,  that  they  might  dry  against  the  following  morning; 
but  frequently  have  I  had  to  put  them  on  in  precisely 
the  same  state  in  which  I  had  left  them  the  preceding 
evening.  To  mend  my  stockings  I  had  no  one,  and 
frequently  have  I  wept  at  the  holes  which  I  could  not 
conceal ;  though,  when  fortunate  enough  to  procure  a 
needle  and  some  worsted,  I  have  drawn  the  outlines 
of  the  holes  together,  and  made,  what  I  thought,  a 
tolerable  job." 

"  During  my  apprenticeship,"  he  continues,  "  many 
bickerings  and  unpleasant  occurrences  took  place. 
Some  of  these  preyed  so  much  on  my  mind,  that 
several  times  I  had  determined  to  run  away  and  enlist 
on  board  a  privateer  or  man-of-war."  He  seems  to 
have  had  little  inclination  for  reading  during  these 
unhappy  days ;  and  if  he  had  been  disposed  for  study 
there  were  but  few  books  within  his  reach.  Accident 
put  into  his  hands  a  few  odd  numbers  of  a  publication 
circulated  in  the  West  of  England  called  "  The  Weekly 
Entertainer."  He  read  and  re-read  the  histories  of 
"  Paul  Jones,"  "  The  Serapis,"  and  "  Bon  Homme 
]\,ichard,"  until  his  imagination  was  inflamed  with  the 
thought  of  joining  a  pirate,  and  leading  the  jolly 
abandoned  life  of  a  sea-rover.  Such  reading  as  this 
did  very  little  good  for  him.  The  only  other  book  he 
seems  to  have  met  with  during  these  days  of  servitude 
was  "an  odd  number  of  the  'History  of  England' 
about  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth."  But  this 
spell  of  reading  lasted  only  a  short  time.     The  odd 


124  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

volume  of  history,  which  charmed  him  at  first,  soon 
grew  monotonous  and  wearisome,  and  was  thrown 
aside.  "  With  this,"  he  says,  "  I  lost  not  only  a  dis- 
position for  reading,  but  almost  the  ability  to  read. 
The  clamour  of  my  companions  and  others  engrossed 
nearly  the  whole  of  my  attention,  and  so  far  as  my 
slender  means  would  allow,  carried  me  onwards  toward 
the  vortex  of  dissipation." 

Much  of  his  time  was  occupied  with  wild  com- 
panions, among  whom  he  was  foremost  in  daring  and 
mischief.  Bird-nesting,  orchard-robbing,  and  even 
poaching  and  smuggling,  were  resorted  to  for  amuse- 
ment and  profit.  On  one  occasion  he  nearly  lost  his 
life  by  following  sea-birds  to  their  haunt  on  the  edge 
of  a  lofty  cliff  overhanging  the  sea.  At  another  time, 
in  the  dead  of  the  night,  when  he  and  a  number  of 
men  and  boys  were  out  on  a  poaching  expedition,  he 
and  his  companions  were  nearly  scared  out  of  tlieir 
wits  by  some  apparition,  which  confronted  them  with 
large  fiery  eyes,  and  suddenly  disappeared. 

Spite  of  these  doubtful  amusements  his  life  at  St. 
Blazey  was  becoming  intolerable.  He  compares  his 
position  to  that  of  "  a  toad  under  a  harrow ; "  and 
declares  that  his  master  and  mistress  seemed  bent  on 
desrradinfr  him.  At  last,  when  he  could  brook  his 
degradation  no  longer,  he  resolved  to  abscond,  and 
accordingly,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  after  enduring 
six  and  a-half  years  of  bondage  and  cruelty,  he  ran  off, 
intending  to  go  to  sea.  But  his  plans  were  happily 
frustrated.  On  his  way  from  St.  Blazey  to  Plymouth 
he  called  at  his  old  home,  and  as  his  father  was 
absent  his  stepmother  refused  to  give  him  money  to 
assist  him  in  his  mad  project.      He  then  made  off  for 


SAMUEL  DREW.  125 

Plymouth  with  only  a  few  pence  in  his  pocket.  Pass- 
ing through  Liskeard  he  chanced  to  meet  with  a 
good-natured  shoemaker,  and  entered  into  an  engage- 
ment as  a  journeyman.  In  a  short  time  he  was 
discovered  in  his  retreat,  and  persuaded  to  return  to 
his  father's  roof.  He  agreed  on  condition  that  he 
should  not  be  sent  back  to  his  old  master.  This 
being  arranged,  a  situation  was  found  for  Drew  at  Mill- 
brook  and  afterwards  at  Kingsand  and  Crafthole. 

It  was  during  his  stay  at  the  last  place  that  the 
event  occurred  wdiich  led  to  the  most  important  change 
in  his  life.  He  had  often  engao-ed  in  smufrtrling 
expeditions  during  the  time  of  his  apprenticeship, 
these  unlawful  practices  not  being  regarded  as  dis- 
graceful in  out-of-the-way  places  on  the  coast  a  cen- 
tury ago.  The  rough  villagers  were  rather  disposed 
to  make  a  boast  of  their  success  in  evading  the 
law ;  and  few,  if  any,  of  their  neighbours  offered 
any  opposition  or  remonstrance.  One  dark  night  in 
December  1784,  when  Samuel  Drew  was  about  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  a  vessel  laden  with  contraband 
goods  made  signals  to  have  her  cargo  fetched  on  shore  ; 
and  the  daring  youth  agreed  to  form  one  of  the  boat's 
crew  for  this  purpose.  The  night  was  so  stormy  and 
dark  that  the  captain  of  the  vessel  had  been  obliged  to 
stand  off  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore.  The 
smugglers  were  two  miles  out  at  sea  wdien  one  of  their 
number,  in  attempting  to  catch  his  hat,  upset  the  boat. 
Three  men  were  immediately  drowned  ;  Drew,  who  was 
a  first-rate  swimmer,  managed  by  dint  of  the  most 
violent  effort  to  reach  the  rocks,  and  was  picked  up 
by  some  of  his  companions  '  more  dead  than  alive,' 
and   carried    to  a  farmhouse,   whose    occupants    were 


126  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

compelled,  much  against  their  will,  to  allow  the  half- 
drowned  youth  to  be  brought  in  and  laid  before  the 
kitchen  fire.  .  A  keg  of  brandy  from  the  vessel  was 
opened,  and  a  bowlful  of  its  contents  placed  to  his  lips. 
He  had  sense  enough  not  to  drink  much,  though 
recklessly  urged  to  swallow  it  all!  After  lying  by 
the  fire  until  circulation  was  pretty  well  restored,  he 
was  able,  with  the  help  of  friendly  arms,  to  crawl  to 
his  lodgings,  a  distance  of  two  miles,  the  ground  being 
covered  with  snow. 

It  was  a  mad  adventure,  and  nearly  cost  him  his 
life,  but  proved,  instead,  the  occasion  of  opening  the 
way  to  a  new  life,  brighter  and  better  and  happier 
than  the  one  he  had  spent  in  thoughtless  and  sin- 
ful amusement.  "  Alas  !  what  will  be  the  end  of 
my  poor  unhappy  boy  ? "  said  his  father,  on  hearing  of 
Samuel's  narrow  escape.  Very  wisely  it  was  resolved 
to  have  him  removed  from  his  sinful  companions  at 
Crafthole,  and  a  good  situation  was  found  for  him 
under  a  steady  master  at  St.  Austell. 

This  little  town  was  one  of  the  numerous  places  in 
Cornwall  that  had  derived  much  benefit  from  the 
ministry  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley;  a  "society"  had 
been  formed  and  a  chapel  built.  Drew  began  to  attend 
the  services  in  this  chapel  soon  after  going  to  live  at 
St.  Austell.  Here  he  heard  the  popular  young  preacher, 
a  mere  stripling,  Adam  Clarke,  afterwards  well  known 
to  the  world  as  the  learned  commentator,  Dr.  Adam 
Clarke.  The  fervid  discourses  of  this  young  man,  com- 
bined with  the  effect  produced  by  the  death  of  a  gifted 
and  pious  brother,  which  happened  at  this  time,  brought 
about  that  change  in  Samuel  Drew  which  the  Saviour 
speaks  of  as  the  new  birth,  without  which,  He  tells 


SAMUEL  DREW.  127 

us,  no  one  "  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
The  change  in  Samuel  Drew  was  complete.  Body, 
mind,  and  spirit  shared  and  rejoiced  in  it.  The  latent 
faculties  of  a  great  mind  and  nohle  heart  were  awak- 
ened and  developed  by  the  heavenly  light  and  heat 
which  now  fell  upon  them.  He  felt  at  once  a  strong 
passion  for  self-culture  and  the  devotion  of  his  gifts  to 
useful  purposes.  The  first  thing  was  to  pick  up  again 
his  almost  lost  knowledge  of  the  arts  of  reading  and 
writing ;  for  describing  his  accomplishments  in  this 
way  at  the  time  of  his  conversion  he  says,  "  I  was 
scarcely  able  to  read  and  almost  totally  unable  to 
write.  Literature  was  a  term  to  which  I  could  annex 
no  idea.  Grammar  I  knew  not  the  meaning  of.  I  was 
expert  at  trifles,  acute  at  follies,  and  ingenious  about 
nonsense."  As  for  his  writing,  a  friend  comj^ared  it  to 
•the  traces  of  a  spider  dipped  in  ink,  and  set  to  crawl 
on  paper.  In  this  respect,  sooth  to  say,  it  was  neither 
better  nor  worse  than  the  writing  of  many  men  whose 
education  is  not  supposed  to  have  been  neglected. 
This  description  of  Samuel  Drew's  accomplishments, 
or  rather  want  of  them,  refers  to  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1785,  when  he  was  in  his  twentieth  year.  It  is 
well  to  note  this  fact,  as  it  will  show  how  much  of  his 
time  was  wasted  in  youth,  and  how  great  must  have 
been  his  industry  in  the  work  of  self-culture  after  this 
date.  Practically  his  education  did  not  begin  until 
he  stood  on  the  threshold  of  manhood,  and  even  then 
it  was  not  carried  on  in  any  thorough  and' systematic 
fashion.  He  had  to  help  himself  in  the  matter  as 
best  he  could.  At  first  he  had  no  counsellors,  no 
store  of  books,  and  no  well-arranged  course  of  reading. 
All  depended  on  his  good  fortune  in  borrowing ;  and, 


128  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

what  proved  in  his  case  as  in  so  many  others  the  best 
thing  in  the  world,  all  depended  on  his  following  his 
own  bent  and  satisfying  his  own  taste  in  the  choice 
of  subjects  for  study.  This  in  the  majority  of  cases 
proves  to  be  the  secret  of  success  in  life.  For  our 
taste  for  a  subject  is  the  result  of  our  having  a  special 
aptitude  for  it.  We  like  to  do  what  comes  easiest 
to  us.  The  born  artist,  as  he  is  termed,  likes  to  draw 
and  sketch  because  he  can  draw  and  sketch  better 
than  he  can  do  anything  else ;  the  arithmetician 
enjoys  working  out  problems  in  figures ;  the  poet 
loves  to  indulge  his  fancy  and  clothe  his  imaginations 
in  the  guise  of  poetry ;  and  the  metaphysician  is 
happiest  when  employed  in  the  task  of  definition  and 
reasoning. 

Drew's  capacity,  and  therefore  his  taste,  lay  in  the 
direction  of  metaphysics,  and  it  is  curious  to  notice 
how  the  future  logician  and  theologian  manages  to 
make  his  most  ungenial  and  untoward  circumstances 
as  a  shoemaker  in  an  obscure  country  town  serve  his 
purpose  and  help  him  forward  to  the  accomplishment 
of  his  life-destiny.  All  this  was  partly  the  result  of 
natural  gifts  and  partly  the  fruit  of  strenuous  applica- 
tion and  toil.  Men  who  have  done  notable  things  in 
the  world  have  been  spoken  of  as  belonging  to  two 
classes.  There  is  the  man  who  "  seems  to  have  what 
is  best  in  him  as  a  possession ; "  and  the  man  who 
"  seems  to  show  that  what  is  regarded  as  an  inspiration 
may  come  as  the  result  of  labour."  ^  This  is  but 
another  method  of  stating  the  old  distinction  between 
"  genius  and  talent."  If  Samuel  Drew  must  be 
classified  at   all,   we   should   certainly   place   him   in 

1  "  Athenffium, "  Xo.  2770,  Nov.  27,  18S0,  p.  719. 


SAMUEL  DREW.  129 

the  former  category.  What  was  hcst  in  him  was 
indeed  a  possession,  not  an  acquirement.  Yet,  like  all 
men  of  mark,  he  owed  much  to  close  study  and  hard 
work.  Without  these  his  fine  natural  gifts  would 
have  been  useless. 

Drew's  master  at  St.  Austell  combined  the  three 
somewhat  kindred  businesses  of  saddler,  shoemaker, 
and  bookbinder.  His  shop  was  also  a  regular  meet- 
ing-place for  the  gossipers  of  the  town ;  and  as  St. 
Austell  was  then  in  a  ferment  of  religious  excitement, 
most  of  the  talk  ran  on  religious  topics.  The  Calvinist 
and  Arminian  divided  the  field  between  them,  and  in 
their  contests,  sometimes  as  arbiter,  and  sometimes  as 
the  champion  of  a  party,  Drew  was  often  called  in  to 
contribute  to  the  discussion.  Here  he  found  the  first 
arena  for  the  exhibition  of  his  natural  powers  as  a 
debater,  and  gained  for  himself  no  small  renown. 

About  this  time  also  a  book  came  in  his  way,  which 
seems  to  have  made  a  revolution  in  his  mind.  This 
was  Locke's  famous  "Essay  on  the  Human  Under- 
standing," a  copy  of  which  was  brought  to  Drew's 
master's  to  be  bound.  The  young  shoemaker  had  read 
nothing  of  the  kind.  It  opened  to  his  mind  a  world 
of  thought  that  was  new  to  his  experience,  yet  one 
that  seemed  familiar  on  account  of  his  natural  aptitude 
for  such  studies.  He  read  the  luminous  pages  of  the 
great  philosopher  with  the  utmost  avidity.  Henceforth 
reading  became  with  him  an  intense  appetite.  No- 
thing came  much  amiss,  but  such  books  as  led  him 
into  the  ample  domains  of  philosophy  and  religion 
afforded  the  greatest  delight.      He  says,  "  This  book 

(Locke's  Essay)  set  all  my  soul  to  think It  gave 

the    first    metaphysical    turn    to     my    mind,    and    I 

I 


I30  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

cultivated  the  little  knowledge  of  writing  which  I  had 
acquired  in  order  to  put  down  my  reflections.  It 
awakened  me  from  my  stupor,  and  induced  me  to 
form  a  resolution  to  abandon  the  grovelling  views 
which  I  had  been  accustomed  to  entertain." 

For  two  years  after  the  change  we  have  noticed 
Drew  continued  working  industriously  at  his  trade, 
and  filling  up  all  his  spare  moments  by  reading 
such  books  as  came  to  the  shop  to  be  bound,  or 
any  others  he  could  borrow  from  friends.  Attracted 
by  one  science  after  another,  and  finding,  as  most 
eager  minds  do,  a  charm  in  each,  he  finally  settled  to 
metaphysics,  because,  as  he  sometimes  shrewdly  ob- 
served, amongst  other  recommendations,  it  has  this, 
that  it  requires  fewer  books  than  other  branches  of 
study,  and  may  be  followed  at  the  least  expense.  "It 
appeared  to  be  a  thorny  j^ath;  but  I  determined 
nevertheless  to  enter  and  begin  to  tread  it,"  he 
remarks ;  and  adds,  "  To  metaphysics  I  then  applied 
myself,  and  became  what  the  w^orld  and  Dr.  Clarke 
call  a  Metaphysician." 

By  the  advice  and  help  of  friends  he  resolved, 
in  January  1787,  to  commence  business  on  his 
own  account.  His  savings  at  this  time  amounted 
to  only  fourteen  shillings.  He  was  therefore  com- 
pelled to  borrow  capital,  or  remain  a  journeyman.  It 
was  not  difficult,  however,  to  find  a  man  in  St.  Austell 
who  was  willing  to  trust  the  now  steady  and  hard- 
working shoemaker.  A  miller  advanced  him  £$  on 
the  security  of  his  good  character,  saying,  "  And  more 
if  that's  not  enough,  and  I'll  promise  not  to  demand  it 
till  you  can  conveniently  pay  me."  Fortunately  for 
him,  at  this  time  Dr.  Franklin's  "  Way  to  Wealth " 


SAMUEL  DREW.  131 

came  into  his  hands,  and  impressed  him  deeply  with 
its  sage  maxims  and  sound  principles  of  business  and 
thrift.      On  one  maxim,  though  severe,  he  often  at  this 
time  acted  literally,  "  It  is  better  to  go  supperless  to 
bed  than  to  rise  in  debt."     The  account  which  he  gives 
of  the  hard  work  and  rigid   economy,  and  the  good 
fruits  they  bore,  during  his  first  year's  experience  of 
business,  is  highly  creditable  to  him,  and  will  be  best 
told  in  his  own  words.      "  Eighteen  hours  out  of  the 
twenty-four    did    I    regularly    work,    and    sometimes 
longer,  for  my  friends  gave  me  plenty  of  employment, 
and  until  the  bills  became  due  I  had  no  means  of  pay- 
ing wages  to  a  journeyman.      I  was  indefatigable,  and 
at  the  year's  end  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  paying  the 
five  pounds  which  had  been  so  kindly  lent  me,  and 
finding  myself,  with  a  tolerable  stock  of  leather,  clear 
of  the  world."     This  wise  resolve  to  pay  his  way  and 
to  live  within  his  means,  so  vigorously  carried  out  from 
the  very  beginning,  was  of  the  utmost  service  to  him 
all  through  life,  and  saved  him  from  the  worry  and 
discredit  by  which  so  many  men  of  genius  and  literary 
gifts  have  been  hampered  and  thwarted  in  their  work. 
When  once  the  resolute  shoemaker  had  made  a  fair 
start  and  conquered  the  difficulties  of  early  business- 
life,  he  was  always  at  liberty  to  devote  his  mind  to  his 
favourite  pursuits.      He  was  poor  enough,  it  is  true ; 
but  he  was  comparatively  independent,  for  he  was  free 
from  debt.      Nor  did  he  forget  others  in  their  need. 
Many  stories  are  told  of  his  generosity.     He  was  never 
rash  and  prodigal  in  his  giving,  but  acted  on  the  best 
rules  of  common  sense  and  high  principle.      He  would 
not  give  while  he  was  himself  in  debt,  sticking  closely 
to  the  rule,  "  Be  just  before  you  are  generous,"  yet 


132  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

never  making  that  wise  adage  a  cloak,  as  some  do,  for 
stinginess.  Nothing  could  be  more  characteristic  of 
his  wisdom  and  kindliness  than  the  story  told  by  his 
sister  of  his  cominsj  home  after  bein^  invited  to  dinner 
with  a  friend,  and  saying,  "  The  people  at  the  place 
where  I  have  been  very  kindly  invited  me  to  dinner  ; 
I  can  now  honestly  give  away  my  own.  Bring  out 
what  meat  you  have  left ;  cut  from  it  as  much  as  you 
think  I  should  have  eaten,  and  carry  it  to  Alice  H." 
At  another  time  he  observed  a  poor  woman,  "  with  an 
empty  basket  on  one  arm  and  a  child  on  the  other, 
looking  wistfully  at  the  butchers'  stalls ; "  and  adds, 
"  I  guessed  from  her  manner  that  she  had  no  money, 
and  was  ashamed  to  ask  credit :  so  as  I  passed  her  I 
put  half-a-crown  into  her  hand.  The  good  woman 
was  so  affected  that  she  burst  into  tears,  and  I  could 
not  help  crying  for  company."  Having  been  enabled 
to  start  in  business  by  a  loan  of  money,  he  showed  his 
gratitude  by  helping  others  in  the  same  position,  and, 
strange  to  say,  a  change  of  fortune  having  overtaken 
his  old  friend,  the  miller.  Drew  had  the  satisfaction  of 
helping  him  in  his  time  of  need. 

An  incident  which  happened  about  this  time  will 
show  to  what  dangers  his  social  disposition  and  fond- 
ness for  debate  exposed  him,  and  how  slight  an  incident 
saved  him  from  the  snare.  He  had  become  enamoured 
of  political  matters,  and  discussed  them  very  vigorously 
with  his  customers  and  others  who  made  his  work- 
room a  meeting-place  where  they  might  hear  and  de- 
bate the  latest  news.  Sometimes  these  discussions 
drew  him  from  home  into  the  house  of  a  neighbour, 
and  so  absorbed  his  time  that  he  found  himself  at  the 
end  of  the  day  far  behind  in  his  work,  and  obliged  to 


SAMUEL  DREW.  I33 

sit  up  till  midnight  in  order  to  finish  it.  One  night, 
however,  he  received  a  severe  rebuke  from  some  anony- 
mous counsellor,  which  effectually  put  a  stop  to  this 
bad  habit.  As  he  sat  at  work  after  most  of  the 
neighbours  were  in  bed,  he  heard  footsteps  at  the 
door,  and  presently  a  boy's  shrill  voice  accosted  him 
through  the  keyhole  with  this  sage  remark :  "  Shoe- 
maker, shoemaker,  work  by  night,  and  run  about  by 
day ! "  "  And  did  you,"  inquired  a  friend  to  whom 
Drew  told  the  story,  "  pursue  the  boy  and  chastise 
him  for  his  insolence  ? "  "  No,  no,"  replied  Drew, 
who  had  the  wisdom  to  see  that  there  was  more  fault 
in  himself  than  the  boy,  and  had  also  the  moral  courage 
and  firmness  of  character  to  turn  the  annoyance  to 
profitable  account — "  No,  no.  Had  a  pistol  been 
fired  off  at  my  ear  I  could  not  have  been  more  dis- 
mayed or  confounded.  I  dropped  my  work,  saying  to 
.  myself,  '  True,  true,  but  you  shall  never  have  that  to 
say  of  me  again  ! ' "  Right  well  did  he  keep  to  his 
resolve,  and  with  what  results  we  shall  see. 

In  1 79 1,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  he  married 
Honour  Halls  of  St.  Austell,  and  now,  fairly  settled 
in  his  domestic  affairs,  he  devoted  his  attention  and 
leisure  time,  such  as  he  could  snatch  from  intervals  of 
work,  to  careful  reading  and  thought  on  pliilosophical 
and  religious  subjects.  His  first  literary  productions 
were,  according  to  rule  in  such  cases,  in  the  shape  of 
poetry.  "An  Ode  to  Christmas,"  dated  I79i>  and 
"  Kefiections  on  St.  Austell  Churchyard,"  dated  1792, 
appear  to  have  been  his  earliest  attempts.  Though 
he  had  fine  poetic  feeling  and  considerable  readiness 
in  expression,  he  was  not  destined  to  shine  in  this 
field   of   literature.     His   first   venture   in  print   was 


134  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

entitled    "  Eemarks    on    Paine's    '  Age    of    Eeason.' " 
This  infidel  work  by  the  notorious  Tom   Paine  had 
many  readers  and  great  influence  among  the  working 
class  at   the   close    of  the  last  century.      It  appears 
that  a  young  surgeon  who  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
visiting  the  thoughtful  and  well-read  shoemaker,  had 
procured  a  copy  of  the  "  Age   of  Pteason,"  and  had 
read  and  endorsed  its  atheistic  doctrines.     He  strongly 
urged   Drew  to  read    the   book,   in   order   that  they 
misrht  discuss   its    contents  tosether.      The   two   dis- 
putants  met  night  after  night,  the  shoemaker  attack- 
ing, and  the  surgeon  defending  the  principles  of  the 
famous  infidel  book.     At  length  the  discussion  came 
to   an   end   by   the   surgeon   giving   up  his    faith    in 
Voltaire,   Eousseau,   Gibbon,  Hume,  and  Tom   Paine, 
and   accepting   the   teaching   and   consolation   of   the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ.     The  young  man  died  soon 
after    this    occurrence,    and    confessed    to    the    great 
service  which  had  been  rendered  him  by  Samuel  Drew 
in  removing  doubt  and  laying  the  basis  for  Christian 
faith.     On  showing  his  notes  of  this  discussion  to  two 
Wesleyan  preachers  then  stationed  at  St.  Austell,  he 
was  advised  to   publish  them,  and  did  so  in    1799. 
This  pamphlet  had  a  rapid  sale.     It  was,  as  we  have 
said,  Drew's  introduction  to  the  world  of  literature, 
and  it  brought  him  no  little  fame  and  credit  in  the 
religious  world  of  his  day.     Great  was  the  astonish- 
ment evinced  when   it   was   known  that  the   writer 
of  what  was  deemed  a  masterly  piece   of  argument 
in  good,  clear,  forcible  English,  was  a  "  cobbler  "  and 
an  entirely  self-taught  man.     The  flattering  reception 
and  notice  given  to  this   pamphlet  emboldened  him 
in  the  following  year  to  venture  on  the  publication  of 


SAMUEL  DREW.  135 

an  Ode  on  the  death,  by  accident,  of  an  influential 
townsman.  A  literary  friend,  who  had  praised  his 
first  attempt  very  highly,  spoke  so  plainly  yet  kindly 
of  this  production  that  Drew  very  wisely  abandoned 
the  muse  and  stuck  to  metaphysics  and  prose.  In 
the  same  year  also  he  wrote  a  pamphlet  which,  in  the 
locality  of  St.  Austell,  at  all  events,  sustained  his 
fame.  This  was  a  reply  to  some  aspersions  cast  on  the 
Wesleyan  Methodists  by  a  clergyman,  the  then  vicar 
of  Manaccan,  Cornwall.  So  completely  did  the  worthy 
Methodist  local  preacher  disprove  the  statements  of 
the  clergyman,  and  withal,  in  so  temperate  a  spirit, 
that  the  latter  eventually  not  only  confessed  his 
defeat  in  a  generous  and  manly  spirit,  but  very  grace- 
fully acknowledged  his  obligations  to  his  humble 
antagonist.  Drew  had  now  a  greater  task  in  hand 
which  was  drawing  near  its  completion.  For  several 
years  he  had  occupied  his  mind  with  the  subject  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  having  read  every  book 
he  could  j)rocure  on  the  subject.  None  of  these  books 
quite  satisfied  him.  "  He  imagined,"  as  he  says,  that 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  admitted  of  more  rational 
proof  than  he  had  ever  seen.  Accordingly  in  1798 
he  resolved  to  make  notes  of  his  thoughts  on  this  vast 
theme.  In  1801  these  were  fully  prepared  for  the 
press  and  submitted  to  the  judgment  of  the  judicious 
friend  referred  to  above — Rev.  John  Whittaker,  of 
Euan  Lanyhorne,  in  Cornwall.  By  his  advice  Drew 
committed  the  work  to  the  press,  with  the  title, 
"  The  Immateriality  and  Immortality  of  the  SouL" 
It  was  published  by  subscription ;  "  the  best  families  " 
in  the  county  giving  their  names  as  subscribers. 
The    first    edition    numbered    700    copies,   of   which 


136  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

subscriptions  were  entered  for  640.  A  few  weeks 
after  its  publication,  Drew  received  a  letter  from 
a  publisher  in  Bristol  asking  the  author  to  state 
his  terms  for  the  copyright.  Twenty  pounds  and 
thirty  copies  of  the  new  edition  was  all  he  asked, 
so  little  did  he  suspect  the  popularity  his  work  would 
attain,  and  so  low  did  he  rate  his  own  abilities  as  an 
author.  A  pleasing  circumstance  deserves  mention 
here  in  connection  with  the  appearance  of  the  first 
edition  of  this  essay.  A  highly  favourable  review  of 
it  appeared  in  the  "  Anti-Jacobin,"  which  Drew  after- 
wards discovered  to  have  been  written  by  no  other 
than  Mr.  Polwhele,  the  clergyman  whose  pamphlet 
anent  the  Wesleyans  Drew  had  so  resolutely  and  suc- 
cessfully attacked.  Such  an  act  of  grace  was  infi- 
nitely creditable  to  the  critic  as  well  as  gratifying 
to  the  author.  In  regard  to  the  history  of  this 
essay,  the  following  note,  written  by  Samuel  Drew's 
son,^  is  full  of  interest :  "  After  passing  through  five 
editions  in  England  and  two  in  America,  and  being 
translated  and  printed  in  France,  the  '  Essay  on  the 
Soul,'  the  copyright  of  which  Mr.  Drew  had  disposed 
of  on  the  terms  just  named,  and  which,  before  its  first 
appearance,  a  Cornish  bookseller  had  refused  at  the 
price  of  ten  pounds,  became  again  his  property  at  the 
end  of  twenty-eight  years.  He  gave  it  a  final  revision, 
added  much  important  matter,  and  sold  it  a  second 
time  for  ^^250." 

The  literary  reputation  of  the  metaphysical  shoe- 
maker was  now  established.  Journals  and  reviews 
spoke  in  terms  of  high  praise.      Literary  men,  clergy- 

^  "  Samuel  Drew,  M.A.,  the  Self-taught  Cornishman."   By  his  Eldest 
Son.     P.  102.     London  :  Ward  &  Co. 


SAMUEL  DREW.  137 

men,  and  ministers  of  various  denominations,  wrote 
in  congratulatory  terms,  and  proffered  friendship  and 
assistance.  The  best  libraries  in  the  locality  were 
placed  at  his  service,  and  invitations  or  visits  came  so 
thick  upon  him,  that  the  modest  shoemaker  was  at 
times  fairly  bewildered  by  them.  A  little  book,  issued 
in  1 803,  the  year  after  Drew's  essay  appeared,  brought 
his  circumstances  before  the  public.  It  was  entitled, 
"  Literature  and  Literary  Characters  of  Cornwall,"  and 
was  edited  by  the  above-named  Mr.  Polwhele.  To 
this  book  Drew,  by  request  of  the  editor,  sent  a  short 
autobiographical  sketch.  "  His  lowly  origin,"  says  his 
son,  "  and  humble  situation  being  thus  made  public, 
the  singular  contrast  which  it  presented  to  his  growing 
literary  fame  attracted  much  attention.  St.  Austell 
became-  noted  as  the  birth-place  and  residence  of  Mr. 
Drew,  and  strangers  coming  into  the  county  for  the 
f^ratification  of  their  curiosity  did  not  consider  that 
object  accomplished  until  they  had  seen  'the  meta- 
physical shoemaker.'"  Eeferring  to  those  flattering 
attentions,  he  once  shrewdly  observed  :  "  These  gentle- 
men certainly  honour  me  by  their  visits;  but  I  do  not 
forget  that  many  of  them  merely  wish  to  say  that  they 
have  seen  the  cobbler  who  wrote  a  book." 

The  following  picture  of  the  literary  shoemaker  dur- 
ing this  period  of  his  life  must  not  be  omitted  here,  for 
it  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  his  method  of  working  at  this 
time  when  employed  on  his  double  task  of  making 
hoots  and  looks.  It  recalls  the  sketch  given  in  the  life 
of  Bloomfield,  much  of  whose  poetry  was  composed 
under  similar  conditions.  Indeed,  it  were  hard  to  say 
who  had  the  worst  of  it,  the  poet  in  the  crowded  garret 
or   the    theologian   in    the   noisy  kitchen.      The  first 


138  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

paragrapli  is  written  by  Samuel  Drew  himself,  and  the 
second  by  his  son. 

"  During  my  literary  pursuits  I  regularly  and  con- 
stantly attended  on  my  business,  and  I  do  not  recollect 
that  through  these  one  customer  was  ever  disappointed 
by  me.  My  mode  of  writing  and  study  may  have 
in  them,  perhaps,  something  peculiar.  Immersed  in 
the  common  concerns  of  life,  I  endeavour  to  lift  my 
thoughts  to  objects  more  sublime  than  those  with 
which  I  am  surrounded  ;  and,  while  attending  to  my 
trade,  I  sometimes  catch  the  fibres  of  an  argument 
which  I  endeavour  to  note,  and  keep  a  pen  and  ink  by 
me  for  that  purpose.  In  this  state  what  I  can  collect 
through  the  day  remains  on  any  paper  which  I  may 
have  at  hand  till  the  business  of  the  day  is  despatched 
and  my  shop  shut,  when,  in  the  midst  of  my  family,  I 
endeavour  to  analyse  such  thoughts  as  had  crossed  my 
mind  during  the  day.  I  have  no  study,  I  have  no 
retirement.  I  write  amid  the  cries  and  cradles  of  my 
children ;  and  frequently,  when  I  review  what  I  have 
written,  endeavour  to  cultivate  '  the  art  to  blot.'  Such 
are  the  methods  which  I  have  pursued,  and  such  the 
disadvantages  under  which  I  write." 

"  His  usual  seat,"  adds  his  son,  "  after  closing  the 
business  of  the  day,  was  a  low  nursing-chair  beside  the 
kitchen-fire.  Here,  with  the  bellows  on  his  knees  for 
a  desk,  and  the  usual  culinary  and  domestic  matters  in 
progress  around  him,  his  works,  prior  to  1805,  were 
chiefly  written." 

Samuel  Drew's  life  as  a  shoemaker  came  to  an  end 
with  the  year  1805.  It  will  not  be  possible  for  us  to 
give  in  detail  the  events  which  fill  up  the  remainder 
of  his  honourable  career.      Nor  is  it  needful ;  the  chief 


SAMUEL  DREW.  139 

interest  of  his  history  lies  in  that  portion  of  it  which 
shows  us  the  self-taught  Cornishman  plying  his  lowly 
craft  while  he  lays  the  foundation  for  his  fame  as  a 
theologian.  His  preaching  engagements  were  very 
numerous  from  the  time  when  he  was  first  put  on  the 
Wesleyan  preachers'  "  plan,"  and  they  were  never  sus- 
pended until  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death.  His 
status  as  a  local  preacher  was  of  the  very  best,  and 
frequently  brought  him  into  the  company  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  his  denomination.  His  friendship  with  Mr., 
now  Dr.,  Adam  Clarke,  one  of  the  leading  men  among 
the  Wesleyans,  had  been  maintained  from  the  time 
when  Clarke  was  on  the  St.  Austell  circuit.  The  good 
name  acquired  by  Drew  as  a  literary  man,  and  his 
high  standing  among  his  own  religious  society,  led  to 
his  appointment  under  Dr.  Coke,  the  founder  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Missions.  The  shoemaker  now 
abandoned  the  awl  and  last  for  the  pen,  and  devoted 
himself,  as  a  secretary  and  joint-editor,  entirely  to  lite- 
rary work.  He  assisted  Dr.  Coke  in  preparing  for  the 
press  his  "  Commentary  on  the  New  Testament,"  "  His- 
tory of  the  Bible,"  and  other  works.  In  i  806,  through 
Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  influence,  Drew  began  to  contribute 
to  the  "  Eclectic  Eeview."  Before  he  had  abandoned  the 
shoemaker's  stall  the  materials  for  another  theological 
work  had  been  collected  and  partly  prepared  for 
publication.  Having  treated  the  question  of  the 
Immortality  of  the  Soul,  he  had  wished, '  and  was 
strongly  urged  by  several  clerical  friends,  to  take  up 
the  subject  of  the  "  Identity  and  Besurrection  of  the 
Human  Body."  A  work  bearing  this  title  appeared 
in  1809,  having  been  submitted  in  manuscript  to  his 
old  friends  the  Eevs.  Mr.  Wiiittaker  and  Mr.  Gregor, 


I40  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and  to  Archdeacon  Moore.  It  was  not  a  little  remark- 
able that  men  of  this  class  should  have  been  the  fore- 
most to  patronise  and  aid  the  Methodist  shoemaker 
in  his  literary  enterprises,  and  that  one  of  them  should 
call  himself  "  friend  and  admirer,"  while  another  spoke 
of  feeling  "  a  pride  and  pleasure  in  being  employed  as 
the  scourer  of  his  armour."  The  most  extensive  work 
Drew  ventured  to  publish  was  entitled  "  A  Treatise 
on  the  Being  and  Attributes  of  God."  This  was 
undertaken  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Dr.  Eeid, 
then  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages  at  the  Marischal 
College,  Aberdeen,  as  a  competition  for  a  prize  of 
^1500  offered  for  the  best  essay  on  that  subject. 
Though  this  work  failed  to  gain  the  first  place  in 
the  list,  it  stood  very  high,  and,  certainly,  it  was  no 
small  testimony  to  its  worth  that  it  should  have  been 
deemed  worthy  to  rank  as  a  close  competitor  with  the 
successful  works  of  Dr.  A.  M.  Brown,  Principal  of 
Marischal  College,  and  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Sumner,  after- 
wards Bishop  of  Chester  and  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
Drew's  treatise  was  not  published  till  1820,  when  it 
came  out  in  two  octavo  volumes.  In  1 8  i  3  he  pub- 
lished a  controversial  pamphlet  on  the  Divinity  of 
Christ,  which  had  a  large  sale,  and  for  which,  such 
was  the  value  now  set  on  his  writings,  his  publisher, 
j\Ir.  Edwards,  paid  as  much  as  he  had  previously  given 
for  the  Essay  on  the  Soul.  Under  the  direction  of 
F.  Kitchens,  Esq.,  of  St.  Ives,  Drew  now  took  up 
a  laborious  task  which  had  been  in  that  gentleman's 
hands  for  several  years,  and  brought  it  to  completion. 
This  was  the  publication  of  a  History  of  Cornwall. 
It  appeared  in  181 5-17,  and  consisted  of  1500 
quarto  pages,  all  of  which  "  was  sent  to  the  printer  in 


SAMUEL  DREW.  141 

his,"  Drew's,  "  own  mauuscript."  At  the  request 
of  the  executors  of  Dr.  Coke,  Drew  published  a 
memoir  of  his  friend,  which  appeared  in  i  8 1 7.  This 
task  made  a  visit  to  London  necessary.  Here  the 
learned  shoemaker  met  with  the  Eev.  Legh  Eichmond, 
author  of  "  The  Dairyman's  Daughter,"  and  with  Dr. 
Mason  of  New  York.  He  was,  of  course,  asked  to 
preach  in  several  London  "  circuits,"  where  his  fame 
as  a  writer  had  preceded  him.  His  "  uncouth  and 
unclerical  appearance,"  for  he  wore  top-boots  and  light- 
coloured  breeches,  excited  no  small  curiosity ;  but 
his  excellent  preaching  and  delightful  simplicity  and 
modesty  of  manner  awoke  universal  respect.  The 
preacher  was  fifty  years  of  age  (1815J  when  he  paid 
this  visit  to  the  metropolis,  and  it  was  the  first  time 
he  had  travelled  more  than  a  few  miles  from  the 
locality  where  he  was  born. 

But  a  journey  of  more  importance  still  was  taken 
iir  1 8 1 9,  when  he  went  down  to  Liverpool  to  negotiate 
for  the  editorship  of  a  new  magazine  to  be  issued 
from  the  Caxton  Establishment,  then  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Fisher.  Drew  was  finally  engaged  as  perma- 
nent editor  on  this  establishment,  and  the  publication 
of  which  he  had  the  management,  bearing  the  title, 
"The  Imperial  Magazine,"  became  a  complete  success. 
Though  sold  at  one  shilling,  it  had  a  circulation  of  7000 
during  the  first  year.  The  destruction  of  the  premises 
by  fire  compelled  the  removal  of  the  Caxton  Estab- 
lishment to  London,  where  Drew  remained  at  the 
post  of  editor  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  1824  the 
degree  of  A.M.  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  Marischal 
College,  Aberdeen.  We  have  alluded  to  the  request 
made  by  some  members  of  the  Council  of  the  London 


142  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

University,  that  he  would  allow  himself  to  be  nomi- 
nated for  the  Chair  of  Moral  Philosophy.     This  request 
was  made  in  1830  ;  bui  Samuel  Drew,  who  was  now 
sixty-five  years  of  age,  was  beginning  to  feel  the  effects 
of  his  long  life  of  hard  work,  and  to  sigh  for  rest. 
His    chief  wish   was   to    end  his  days  in  his  native 
county,  among  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
and  amid   the   associations  that  clustered  round  the 
place  where  he  had  first  learned  to  think  and  write, 
and  make  for  himself  a  name  in  the  world  of  letters. 
This  wish  was  hardly  fulfilled  ;  for,  holding  on  to  his 
daily  routine  of  office  work  from  year  to  year  in  the 
hope  of  retiring  with  a  competence  for  himself  and 
his    children,   he    was    at    length    compelled   on   2nd 
March    1833,  the  last  day  of  his  sixty-eighth  year, 
to  lay  down  his  pen.      His  life-work  was  now  over. 
Within  a  few  days  he  left  London  for  the  home  of 
his  daughter  at  Helston  in  Cornwall,  where  on  the 
29th  of  March  he  died.      It  was  his  comfort,  during 
the  last  days  of  his  life,  to  be  surrounded  by  a  circle 
of  deeply  attached  relatives,  and  on  several  occasions, 
when  his  head  was  supported  by  one  of  his  children, 
he    repeated    the    lines    of   his    favourite    poem,    the 
"  Elegy  "  by  Gray : — 

"  On  some  fond  breast  the  parting  soul  relies  : 
Some  pious  drops  the  closing  eye  requires." 

His  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Immortality  of  the 
Soul,  which  he  had  so  ably  advocated,  aJEforded  him 
profound  consolation  in  his  last  hours.  On  the  day 
before  his  death  he  said,  with  all  the  eagerness  of  keen 
anticipation,  "  Thank  God,  to-morrow  I  shall  join  the 
glorious  company  above  ! " 


SAMUEL  DREW.  143 

Monuments  to  his  memory  were  erected  over  the 
grave  in  Helston  Churchyard,  and  in  the  Wesleyan 
chapel  and  parish  church  at  St.  Austell  On  each 
of  these  the  inhabitants  of  his  native  town  and  county 
bore  strong  testimony  to  the  affection  and  regard 
felt  by  all  who  knew  him  for  the  "  self-taught  Cornish 
metaphysician." 


■^^^^vJ-     


WILLIAM    CAREY,     D.D. 


Milltam  Carcv^t 


THE  SHOEMAKER  WHO   TRANSLATED   THE   BIBLE   INTO 
BENGALI   AND    HINDOSTANI. 


"No,  sir  !  only  a  cobbler." — Dr.  William  Carey. 

"  I  am  indeed  poor,  and  shall  always  be  so  until  the  Bible  is  pub- 
lished in  Bengali  and  Hindostani,  and  the  people  want  no  further 
instruction." — Br.  WilUani  Carey,  Letter  from  India,  1794. 


(     147     ) 


WILLIAM  CAREY. 

[|ETWEEX  the  years  1786  and  1789,  wlien 
William  Gifford,  just  liberated  by  the  gener- 
ous interference  of  a  friend  from  the  yoke  of 
apprenticeship  to  a  cruel  master,  was  receiving  instruc- 
tion from  the  Rev.  Thomas  Smerdon,  when  Eobert 
Bloomfield,  a  journeyman  shoemaker  in  London,  was 
preparing  in  his  mind  the  materials  for  the  "  Farmer's 
Boy,"  and  when  Samuel  Drew,  the  young  shoemaker 
of  St.  Austell,  was  reading  "  Locke  on  the  Under- 
standing," and  learning  to  think  and  reason  as  a  meta- 
physician, there  lived  at  Moulton  in  Northampton- 
shire a  poor  shoemaker,  school  teacher,  and  ^dlIage 
pastor,  who  was  cherishing  in  his  great  heart  the  pro- 
ject of  forming  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
out  Christian  missionaries  to  the  heathen  world.  This 
poor  young  man,  in  spite  of  his  obscure  position,  his 
meagre  social  influence,  his  limited  resources,  and  his 
lack  of  early  educational  advantages,  became  the 
originator  of  the  great  foreign  missionary  enterprises 
which  constitute  so  remarkable  a  feature  in  the  reli- 
gious history  of  this  country  at  the  close  of  the  last 
and  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  He  was 
the  first  missionary  chosen  to  be  sent  out  by  the  com- 
mittee of  the  society  he  had  been  the  means  of  estab- 


148  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

lisliing.  His  field  of  labour  was  India,  where  for  more 
than  forty  years,  "without  a  visit  to  England  or  even 
a  voyage  to  sea  to  recruit  his  strength,"  and  without 
losing  a  vestige  of  his  early  enthusiasm  for  his  Chris- 
tian enterprise,  he  toiled  on  at  the  work  of  preach- 
ing the  gospel  and  translating  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures. From  1 80 1  to  1830,  he  was  Professor  of 
Oriental  languages  in  a  College  founded  at  Fort 
William  by  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  Governor- 
General  of  India.  As  an  Oriental  linguist  he  had 
few  equals  in  his  day,  and  few  have  ever  exceeded 
him  in  the  extent  and  exactitude  of  his  acquaintance 
with  the  languages  of  India.  He  compiled  grammars 
and  dictionaries  in  Mahratta,  Sanskrit,  Punjabi, 
Telugu,  Bengali,  and  Bhotana.  But  his  chief  work 
was  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  Bengali  and 
other  languages.  No  less  than  twenty-four  difierent 
translations  of  the  Bible  were  made  and  edited  by  him, 
and  passed  through  the  press  at  Serampore  under  his 
supervision.  One  account  speaks  of  "  two  hundred 
thousand  Bibles,  or  portions  thereof,  in  about  forty 
Oriental  languages  or  dialects,  besides  a  great  number 
of  tracts  and  other  religious  works  in  various  lan- 
guages ; "  and  adds  that  "  a  great  proportion  of  the 
actual  literary  labour  involved  in  these  undertakings 
was  performed  "  by  this  prodigious  worker.  A  truly 
noble  life-work  was  this  for  any  man.  It  may  be 
questioned  if  more  work  of  a  solid  and  useful  character 
was  ever  pressed  into  one  human  life.  What  monarch 
or  ruler  of  a  vast  empire,  what  statesman  or  judge, 
what  scientific  or  literary  worker,  what  man  of  genius 
in  business  or  the  professions,  has  ever  thrown  more 
energy  into    his   life-work  or  achieved   more  worthy 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  149 

results  for  all  his  toil  than  this  humble  shoemaker 
and  village  pastor  from  Northamptonshire,  who  first 
cave  to  the  various  races  of  Northern  India  the  Bible 
in  their  own  language  ? 

No  one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  the  work  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  the  present  century,  will  need  to 
be  told  that  we   are  speaking  of  the  famous  pioneer 
missionary    to    Bengal,   Dr.    William    Carey.        And 
surely  no  list  of  illustrious  shoemakers  would  be  com- 
plete that  did  not  include  the  name  of  this  good  man. 
His  experience  of  the  "  gentle  craft  "  was  somewhat 
extensive.      He  was   bound   apprentice   to  the  trade, 
and  afterwards  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  more  than 
twelve  years.      When  he  became  known  to  the  world, 
he  was  often  spoken  of  as  "the  learned  shoemaker." 
Indeed,  he  was  not  always  honoured  with  so  respect- 
ful a  title    as  this.       More  often   than  not  he  was 
alluded  to  as  "  the  cobbler,"  and  his  own  strict  honesty 
and  modesty  of  spirit    led   him  to  prefer  the  latter 
epithet.       His  humble    origin    and    occupation   were 
sometimes  the  occasion  of  an  empty  sneer  on  the  part 
of  men   whose    class    feeling   and  religious  prejudice 
prevented  their  appreciation   of  his  splendid   mental 
gifts  and  high  purpose  in  life,  and  who  consequently 
endeavoured,  but   in    vain,   to  bring   his    grand  and 
Christ-like  undertaking  into  contempt.     That  famous 
wit,  the  Rev.  Sydney  Smith,  sometime  prebendary  of 
Bristol  and  canon  of  St.  Paul's,  tried  to  set  the  world 
laughing   at  the   "  consecrated   cobbler."      It    was    a 
sorry  joke,  and  quite  unworthy  of  a  Christian  minister, 
and  must  have  been  sorely  repented  of  in  after  years. 
One  would  have  thought   that  Sydney   Smith's   un- 
doubted  piety,   and   natural  kindliness   of   heart,  let 


ISO  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

alone  his  strong  bias  in  favour  of  all  that  was  liberal 
in  religion  and  politics,  would  have  saved  him  from 
such  a  cruel  and  flippant  sneer.  But  wit  is  a  brilliant 
and  dangerous  weapon,  and  few  men  know  how  to  use 
it  as  much  as  Sydney  Smith  did  without  injury  to 
their  own  reputation  or  the  feelings  of  other  people. 

Carey,  as  we  have  said,  did  not  object  to  being  called 
a  "  cobbler,"  although  the  term  did  not  accurately 
describe  his  degree  of  proficiency  in  the  trade.  It  was 
reported  in  Northamptonshire  that  he  was  a  poor  work- 
man, the  neighbours  declaring  that  tliough  he  made 
boots,  he  "could  never  make  a  pair."^  In  a  letter 
to  Dr.  Eyland  he  contradicts  this  report  and  says : 
"  The  childish  story  of  my  shortening  a  shoe  to  make 
it  longer  is  entitled  to  no  credit.  I  was  accounted  a 
very  good  workman,  and  recollect  Mr.  Old  keeping  a 
pair  of  shoes  which  I  had  made  in  his  shop  as  a 
model  of  good  workmanship."  He  cautiously  adds, 
"  But  the  best  workmen  sometimes,  from  various 
causes,  put  bad  work  out  of  their  hands,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  but  I  did  so  too."  ^  This  is  more  than  likely, 
for  he  was  subject  to  long  fits  of  mental  abstraction 
as  he  sat  at  the  stall : 

"  His  eyes 
Were  with  his  heart,  and  that  was  far  away." 

He  pined  for  the  field  of  missions  and  chafed  against 
the  cruel  "  bars  of  circumstance  "  that  kept  him  in  his 
native  land.  While  engaged  in  shoemaking,  he  was 
so  intent  on  learning  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  that 
he  often  forgot  to  fit  the  shoes  to  the  last.     No  wonder 

^  "Baptist  Jubilee  Memorial."  London  :  Simpkin,  Marshall,  1842, 
p.  83. 

"  "  Memoir  of  Dr.  Carey,"  by  the  Rev.  Eustace  Carey.  London  : 
Jackson  &  Walford,  2nd  edition,  I  S3  7,  p.  16. 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  151 

if  shoes  were  not  "  a  pair,"  and  were  sometimes  re- 
turned ;  no  wonder  that  while  he  became  one  of  the 
first  linguists  in  the  world  in  his  day  he  was  spoken 
of  by  his  neighbours  as  nothing  more  than  "  a  cob- 
bler ! "  With  reference  to  his  poor  abilities  in  the 
craft  a  good  story  is  told  of  the  way  in  which  he 
silenced  an  officious  person  whose  "  false  pride  in 
place  and  blood "  had  betrayed  him  into  some  dis- 
paraging remarks  about  Carey  as  a  shoemaker.  His 
biographer^  says :  "  Some  thirty  years  after  this  period, 
dining  one  day  with  the  Governor-General,  Lord  Hast- 
ings, at  Barrakpore,  a  general  officer  made  an  imper- 
tinent inquiry  of  one  of  the  aide-de-camps  whether 
Dr.  Carey,  had  not  once  been  a  shoemaker.  He  hap- 
pened to  overhear  the  conversation,  and  immediately 
stepped  forward  and  said,  "  No,  sir  ;  only  a  cobbler  !  " 

*  In  the  brief  story  we  have  to  tell  of  the  life  of  this 
remarkable  man,  we  shall,  as  seems  most  appropriate  to 
our  purpose,  confine  our  remarks  almost  entirely  to  the 
work  he  accomplished  before  he  ceased  to  be  a  shoe- 
maker. His  father  and  grandfatlier  held  the  position  of 
parish  clerk  and  schoolmaster  at  Pury,  or  Paulersbury, 
in  Northamptonshire,  where  William  Carey  was  born, 

17th  August  1 76 1.  His  only  education  was  received 
in  the  village  school,  and  this  was  very  slight  and 
rudimentary ;  yet  it  was  sufficient  to  give  him  a  start 
in  the  work  of  educating  himself.  As  a  boy  he  was 
always  fond  of  reading,  and  chose  such  books  as  re- 
ferred  to   natural  history.       Botany  and  entomology 

^  J.  C.  Marshman,  in  "The  Story  of  Carey,  ISIarshman,  and  Ward  ;" 
London,  J.  Heaton  &  Sons,  1864,  p.  6.  See  also  an  account  of  Carey's 
life  and  work  in  "  The  Missionary  Keepsake  and  Annual,"  by  Rev. 
John  Dyer;  London,  Fisher  &  Co.,  1S37  ;  and  "The  Life  of  Dr. 
Carey,"  by  the  Rev.  Eustace  Carey  ;  London,  1837. 


152  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

were  favourite  subjects.  His  bedroom  was  turned 
into  a  sort  of  museum,  chiefly  remarkable  for  butter- 
flies and  beetles.  Of  books  of  travel  and  accounts  of 
voyages  he  never  seems  to  have  wearied ;  the  history 
and  geography  of  any  country  also  afforded  him 
special  delight.  He  was  a  bright,  active,  good-looking, 
intelligent  boy,  by  no  means  a  recluse  and  bookworm, 
caring  nothing  for  out-door  exercise  and  sports.  He 
was  as  fond  of  games  as  any  boy  in  the  village,  and 
as  clever  at  them,  and  so  became  a  general  favourite. 
His  quickness  of  intellect  and  perseverance  with  any 
hobby  he  took  up  often  led  the  neighbours  to  predict 
success  for  him  in  future  life.  The  perseverance  and 
courage,  which  were  such  marked  features  of  his 
character  as  a  man,  were  shown  in  his  boyhood  by  a 
curious  incident.  Attempting  to  climb  a  tree  one 
day,  he  fell  and  broke  his  leg,  and  was  an  invalid  for 
six  weeks.  As  soon  as  he  could  crawl  to  the  bottom  of 
the  garden,  he  made  his  way  to  the  very  tree  from  which 
he  had  fallen,  climbed  to  the  top  of  it,  and  brought 
down  one  of  the  highest  branches,  which  he  carried  into 
the  house,  exclaiming,  "  There,  I  knew  I  would  do  it ! " 
At  the  age  of  twelve  he  showed  the  first  signs  of  a 
taste  and  capacity  for  the  acquisition  of  languages.  A 
copy  of  Dyche's  Latin  Grammar  and  Vocabulary  had 
come  into  his  hands,  and  he  at  once  set  to  work,  of 
his  own  free  will  and  choice,  to  study  the  introductory 
portion,  and  to  commit  all  the  Latin  words,  with  their 
meanings,  to  memory.  Such  an  incident  as  this  was 
quite  enough  to  show  that  he  was  a  boy  of  no  common 
mind,  and  that  he  would  well  repay  any  outlay  that 
might  be  made  in  giving  him  a  classical  training.  But 
that  was  out  of  the  question ;  the  village  school  could 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  I53 

not  afford  such  a  training,  and  anything  better,  in  the 
shape  of  grammar-school  or  college,  was  not  to  be  had, 
for  his  friends  were  poor  and  had  no  patrons  to  assist 
them.  What  he  might  have  done  in  an  university  it 
is  idle  to  suppose.  Undoubtedly,  he  would  have  dis- 
tinguished himself,  but  it  may  be  reasonably  doubted 
whether  he  would  have  been  led  into  the  path  of 
Christian  philanthropy  and  usefulness  which  the  stress 
of  circumstances  at  Moulton  led  him  to  think  and 
adopt.  It  must  have  been  painful  for  his  parents, 
with  their  sense  of  the  boy's  merits  and  ambition  as 
a  scholar,  to  see  him  languishing  at  home,  unable  to 
find  sufficient  food  for  his  hungry  and  capacious 
young  mind,  while  they  also  were  unable  to  satisfy 
his  passion  for  books,  or  send  him  to  a  school  adequate 
to  his  requirements.  And  doubly  painful  must  it 
have  been  for  him  as  for  them,  when  they  felt  that 
the  time  had  come  for  him  to  learn  a  trade,  and  the 
thought  of  further  schooling  must  be  given  up. 

One  can  imagine  his  feelings  when  told  that  he 
must  be  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker.  Not  that  such 
an  occupation  was  necessarily  a  bugbear  to  a  boy  in 
his  position,  for  thousands  of  village  lads  would  not 
have  regarded  it  in  that  light ;  but  it  was  so  to  him. 
His  heart  had  been  set  on  a  very  different  kind  of 
occupation.  He  was  eager  for  study,  and  felt  within 
him  the  movement  of  an  impulse  to  do  something 
great  in  the  world,  and  this  apprenticeship  was  a  bitter 
disappointment,  saddening  his  young  heart,  and 
quenching  for  a  time  all  his  bright  hopes.  But  only 
for  a  time  did  he  lose  heart.  He  was  one  of  those 
who  are  no  friends  to  despair,  who  do  not  understand 
defeat,  and  whose  spirit  and  determination  rise  in  the 


154  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

face  of  difficulties.  It  was  not  to  be  expected  in  his 
circumstances  that  life  could  offer  him  any  position  of 
greater  honour  or  advantage  than  a  cobbler's  stool. 
He  would  not,  therefore,  murmur  at  his  necessary  lot. 
He  would  rather  take  to  it  with  as  good  a  grace  as 
possible,  and  make  the  best  of  it.  He  would  use 
every  means  and  chance  of  self-improvement,  and  if 
he  could  not  have  his  heart's  desire  in  the  way  he  had 
intended,  lie  would  have  it  in  some  other  way ;  any- 
how he  would  have  it.  A  broken  purpose  should  no 
more  stand  in  the  way  of  his  climbing  the  "  tree  of 
knowledge "  than  a  broken  leg  had  prevented  his 
climbing  to  the  top  of  the  tree  in  his  father's  garden. 

So  he  settled  to  his  work  with  Charles  Nickolls  of 
Hackleton  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  with  no  prospect  but 
that  of  being  bound  to  wield  the  awl  and  bend  over 
the  last  until  he  had  come  to  be  twenty-one  years  of 
afje.  Soon  after  enterino;  the  shoemaker's  room  he 
found  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  in  the  notes  to 
which  occurred  a  number  of  Greek  words.  This 
opened  up  another  field  of  study,  and  he  determined 
to  enter  upon  it.  Copying  out  the  words,  he  took 
them  for  explanation  to  a  young  man  who  was  a 
weaver  in  the  village  where  his  father  lived.  This 
weaver  came  from  Kidderminster,  had  seen  better  days, 
and  had  received  a  good  education.  He  assisted  young 
Carey,  then  fifteen  years  of  age,  in  mastering  the  rudi- 
ments of  Greek.  With  such  a  start  he  did  not  rest 
until  he  had  procured  and  could  read  the  Greek  New 
Testament.  In  the  second  year  of  his  apprenticeship 
his  indentures  were  cancelled  on  account  of  the  death 
of  his  master,  and  Carey  became  a  journeyman,  of 
course  at  very  low  wages,  under  Mr.  Old.     At  this 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  155 

time  tliere  lived  in   the  neiglibouiiiood  a  clergyman 
who  was  one  of  the  lights  of  a  dark  period  in  the 
religious  history  of  this  country — the  Eev.  Thomas 
Scott,   the   popular  evangelical   preacher,   writer,  and 
Bible   commentator.      His   own   career   was  very  re- 
markable.    From  the  position  of  a  labouring  man  he 
had  risen  to  occupy  good  rank  as  a  clergyman,  and 
with  very  meagre  advantages  in  early  life  he  had  be- 
come, or  was  rapidly  becoming,  one  of  the  best  sacred 
classics  in  the  country.      The  man  who  had  laid  aside 
the   shepherd's    smock    for   the   clergyman's   surplice, 
and  who  on  one   occasion  doffed   his   clerical  attire, 
donned  the  shepherd's  clothes  again,  and  sheared  eleven 
large  sheep  on  an  afternoon,  was  not  likely  to  neglect 
or   overlook   a    youth   of  more   than   ordinary  intel- 
ligence and  application  to  study  because  the   youth 
hajppened  to  spend  his  days  at  the  shoemaker's  stall. 
Mr.  Scott  on  his  visiting  rounds  now  and  then  turned 
in  at  Mr.  Old's,  and  was  struck  with  the  boy's  bright 
look  and  rapt  attention  to  any  remarks  that  the  visitor 
might  make.     Occasionally  young  Carey  would  venture 
to  ask  a  question.     So  appropriate  and  far-seeing  were 
his  incpiiries  that  Mr.  Scott  discerned  his  young  friend's 
uncommon  powers,  and  often  declared  that  he  would 
prove  to  be  "  no  ordinary  character."      In  later  years, 
when  William  Carey  was  known  throughout  England  as 
a  pioneer  in  mission  work,  as  a  great  Oriental  linguist, 
and  the   first  translator  of  the  New  Testament  into 
Bengali,  Mr.  Scott,  as  he  passed  by  the  old  room  where 
the   thoughtful   and   studious   young   shoemaker   had 
once  sat  at  work,  would  point  to  it  and  say,  "  That 
was  Mr.  Carey's  college." 

But  with  all  this  mental  activity  and  zest  for  know- 


156  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

ledge  there  was  no  moral  purpose  in  his  life,  and  as 
he  grew  older  he  became  more  and  more  loose  and 
careless  in  his  habits,  and,  as  he  himself  would  have 
it,  even  vicious,  until  he  came  to  be  about  eighteen 
years  of  age.      But  there  is  no  proof  of  any  evil  con- 
duct to  justify  the  use  of  such  a  term  as  "  vicious  "  in 
describing  his  life  at  this  time.     He  spoke  of  himself, 
no  doubt,  after  the  religious  fashion  of  the  age,  and 
judged  his  early  conduct  by  the  severe  moral  standard 
adopted  by  his  co-religionists.      His  complete  mental 
awakening,  like  that  of  Samuel  Drew,  seems  to  have 
come  as  a  result  of  the  moral  change  wrought  in  him 
at  the  time  of  his  religious  conversion.      A  variety  of 
causes,  as  is  the  rule,  led  to  this  crucial  event  in  his 
life,  "  that  vital  change  of  heart  which  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  his  Christian  character."     First  of  all  he  was 
indebted  to  the  good  example  of  a  fellow-workman, 
then   to  the  earnest   preaching  of  the   Eev.  Thomas 
Scott.      Mr.  Marshman   says,  "  It  was  chiefly  to  the 
ministrations  of  Mr.  Scott  that  Carey  was  indebted  for 
the  progress  he  made  in  his  religious  career,  and  he 
never  omitted  through  life  to  acknowledge  the  deep 
obligation  under  which  he  had  been  laid  by  his  in- 
structions."    Brought  up  as  a  strict  Churchman,  he 
was  confirmed  at  a  suitable  age,  and  regularly  attended 
the  services  at  the  parish  church.      But  at  the  time 
we  are  speaking  of,  when  personal  religion  became  the 
chief  subject  of  his  thoughts,  he  sought  light  and  help 
by  every  available  means.      The  little  Baptist  commu- 
nity, among  whom  he  had  many  friends,  showed  him 
much  sympathy:    he  began  to  attend  their  meetings 
for    prayer,    and    eventually  cast  in    his    lot    among 
them.     They  encouraged  him  to  become  a  preacher, 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  157 

aud  his  first  sermon,  delivered  at  Hackletou  when  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age,  was  delivered  in  one  of 
their  assemblies.  For  three  and  a  half  years  he  was 
on  the  preachers'  plan,  and  rer^iilarly  "supplied  the 
pulpits  "  in  this  village  and  Earl's  Barton  as  a  kind  of 
pastor.  "It  was  during  these  ministerial  engagements," 
says  his  biographer,  "  that  his  views  on  the  subject  of 
baptism  were  altered,  and  he  embraced  the  opinion. 
that  baptism  by  immersion,  after  a  confession  of  faith, 
was  in  accordance  with  the  injunctions  of  Divine  Writ 
and  tlie  practice  of  the  apostolic  age.  He  was  accord- 
ingly baptized  by  Dr.  John  Eyland,  his  future  associate 
in  the  cause  of  missions,  who  subsequently  stated  at  a 
public  meeting  that,  on  the  7th  of  October  1 7  8  3,  he  bap- 
tized a  poor  journeyman  shoemaker  in  the  river  Nene,  a 
little  beyond  Dr.  Doddridge's  chapel  in  Northampton."^ 
During  these  years  he  was  diligently  prosecuting 
his  studies,  and  read  the  Scriptures  in  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Latin.  Like  many  another  poor  student,  he  was 
fain  to  borrow  what  he  could  not  buy  in  the  way  of 
books,  and  "  laid  the  libraries  of  all  the  friends  around 
him  under  contribution."  ISTotwithstanding  his  extra- 
ordinary abilities  and  diligence,  he  does  not  seem  to 
have  displayed  any  marked  qualities  as  a  preacher. 
It  was  with  difficulty  he  got  through  his  trial  sermons 
before  the  church  of  wdiich  he  was  now  a  member. 
The  very  decided  "  personal  influence  "  of  the  pastor, 
the  Eev.  John  Suttcliffe,  was  required  to  enable  the 
modest  young  shoemaker  to  obtain  the  church's  sanc- 
tion to  his  receiving  "  a  call  to  the  ministry."  The 
church  to  which  he  ministered  at  Earl's  Barton  was 
poor,  and  scarcely  able  to  keep  its  pastor  in  clothing, 

^  "The  Story  of  Carey,  Marshman,  and  WarJ,"  p.  4. 


158  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

much  less  provide  for  his  entire  maintenance.  For 
this  he  was  dependent  on  his  trade,  and  as  the  times 
were  now  very  bad  he  was  obliged  to  travel  from 
village  to  village  to  dispose  of  his  work  and  obtain 
fresh  orders.  Nothing  but  the  assistance  of  his  rela- 
tives saved  him  at  this  time  from  destitution. 

And  here  we  are  bound  to  pause  and  notice  the 
greatest  mistake  Carey  made  in  all  his  life.  We  refer 
to  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty  to  the  sister  of 
his  former  employer.  "  This  imprudent  union,"  it  is 
said,  "  proved  a  severe  clog  on  his  exertions  for  more 
than  twenty-five  years.''  The  match  was  about  as 
unfortunate  and  unsuitable  as  a  match  could  be.  Mrs. 
Carey  was  much  older  than  her  husband,  ill-educated 
in  mind  and  temper,  and  quite  incapable  of  sympathis- 
ing with  her  husband's  studies  and  projects.  How  he 
came  to  contract  such  a  miserable  union  passes  com- 
prehension, for  he  was  remarkably  sensible  and  busi- 
ness-like in  common  affairs.  But  there  are  those  who 
can  cultivate  another  man's  vineyard  while  they  neglect 
their  own,  wise  for  others  and  simple  for  themselves ; 
and  in  regard  to  this  particular  business,  as  Froude 
the  historian  has  well  said,  some  men  are  apparently 
"  destined  to  be  unfortunate  in  their  relations  with 
women."  The  judicious  Hooker  was  judicious  in 
everything  else  but  the  choice  of  a  wife,  for  he  mar- 
ried a  jade  who  was  wont  to  give  him  the  baby  to 
nurse  and  stand  and  scold  him  into  the  bargain,  as  lie 
sat  writing  the  works  that  were  destined  to  make  his 
name  illustrious  for  all  time.  Moliere,  who  exposed  in 
the  most  masterly  manner  in  his  plays  the  follies  and 
foibles  of  the  women  of  Parisian  society  in  his  day, 
married,   to    his    bitter    regret,   as  weak  and   vain  a 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  159 

woman  as  any  that  figures  in  bis  own  works.  Milton's 
second  wife  went  home  again  within  three  months  of 
their  wedding-day  ;  and  John  Wesley's  wife  left  him 
a  short  while  after  their  marriage.  But  if  these  good 
men  made  a  mistake  in  their  choice,  they  one  and  all 
acted  with  good  sense  and  feeling  in  their  treatment 
of  their  ill-matched  partners.  Nothing  could  be  better 
than  the  common-sense  of  stern  John  Wesley  in  his 
reply  to  a  friend  who  asked  him  if  he  would  not  send 
for  his  truant  wife  home  again.  He  answered  in 
Latin,  but  this  is  what  his  words  mean,  "  I  did  not 
send  her  away,  and  I  will  not  fetch  her  back  again." 
Carey  acted  with  much  kindness  and  discretion  towards 
his  miserable  partner ;  but  he  found  it  harder  to  trans- 
form her  into  a  sensible  woman  than  to  transform  his 
o\vn  Baptist  Conference  into  a  missionary  society.^ 

In  1786,  he  took  the  pastorate  of  a  small  church 
at  Moulton ;  yet,  even  here,  he  was  obliged  to  eke 
out  his  poor  living  by  shoemaking,  and  even  to  add 
to  his  other  labours  the  task  of  teaching  a  school. 
For  this  task  he  was  utterly  unfit.  However  well  he 
might  teach  himself,  he  could  never  teach  boys.  He 
knew  this,  and  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  When  I  kept 
school,  it  was  the  boys  who  kept  me,"  His  circum- 
stances at  this  time  ought  to  be  fully  stated  in  order 
that  the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of  the  hardship 
Carey  had  to  endure  and  the  absorbing  personal  duties 
and  cares  in  the  midst  of  which  he  began  to  cherish 
his    great    purpose  "  to    convey   the  gospel  of  Jesus 

^  It  ought  to  be  said  that  in  iSoS,  about  a  year  after  the  death  of 
his  first  wife,  Carey  married  Miss  Rhumohr,  a  Danish  lady  of  good 
family  and  education,  who  proved  a  most  congenial  companion  and 
helper  in  his  work.  He  was  three  times  married  :  his  third  wife,  who 
survived  him,  was  an  excellent  partner  for  a  missionary. 


i6o  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Christ  to  some  portion  of  the  heathen  world."  His 
ministerial  stipend  from  all  sources  and  the  proceeds 
of  his  school  would  not  together  put  him  in  the  posi- 
tion of  Goldsmith's  ideal  village  pastor,  who  was  "  pass- 
ing rich  on  forty  pounds  a-year."  So  that  he  was  obliged, 
even  at  Moulton,  to  have  recourse  to  shoemaking.  A 
friend  of  his  at  the  time  remarks,  "  Once  a  fortnight 
Carey  might  be  seen  walking  eight  or  ten  miles  to  North- 
ampton, with  his  wallet  full  of  shoes  on  his  shoulder, 
and  then  returning  home  with  a  fresh  supply  of  leather." 
The  time  spent  at  Moulton  was,  in  spite  of  its  many 
cares  and  hardships,  a  time  of  great  progress  in  study. 
It  was  during  these  years  he  adopted  the  plan  of  allot- 
ting his  time,  a  plan  to  wliich  he  rigidly  adhered  all 
through  his  life,  and  by  means  of  which  he  was  able 
in  after  years  to  accomplish  tasks  which  seemed  to 
onlookers  sufficient  for  the  energies  of  two  or  three  or- 
dinary men.  Now  began  also  the  acquaintance  with 
men  whose  friendship  was  of  the  greatest  service  to  a 
man  like  Carey,  and  largely  influenced  and  helped 
him  in  his  life-work, — Mr.  Hall  (the  father  of  the 
eminent  plupit  orator  Eobert  Hall),  Dr.  Eyland,  John 
Suttclifie,  and  Andrew  Fuller.  All  these  lived  within 
a  few  miles  of  each  other,  and  belonged  to  the  same 
association  of  Baptist  churches  called  the  Northamp- 
tonshire Association.  It  was  at  one  of  the  meetings 
of  this  association  that  Fuller  first  met  with  Carey 
and  heard  him  preach.  So  delighted  was  Fuller  with 
the  devout  thoughtfulness  and  Christian  catholicity 
of  Carey's  discourse,  that  he  met  the  preacher  as  he 
came  down  from  the  pulpit  and  thanked  him  in  the 
warmest  manner.  In  this  cordial  meeting  commenced 
a  friendship  and  fellowship  in  Christian  work  which 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  i6i 

lasted  for  tw^enty  years  until  Fuller's  death,  and  which 
proved  a  source  of  untold  blessings  to  the  heathen 
world. 

Carey's  first  thought  of  missions  came  into  his  mmd 

when  reading  Captain   Cook's  account  of  his  voyage 

round  the  world.      He  was  in   the  habit  of  blending 

study  with  his  task  as  a  shoemaker,  or  while  sitting 

among  his  boys  at   school.      This  book  impressed  his 

imagination,  and  stirred  his  compassion  to  the  utmost, 

as  he  contemplated  the  vast  extent  of  the  world  and 

the  large  proportion  of  its  inhabitants  who  were  living 

in  isnorance  of  the  true  God,  and  of  the  Saviour  of 

mankind.     In  order  to  realise  the  facts  more  vividly, 

he  constructed  a  large  map  of  the  world,  and  marked 

it  in   such  a  manner  as    to  indicate   the  numerical 

relation  of  the  heathen  to  the  Christian  nations.      This 

map  was  fixed  on  the  wall  in  front  of  his  work-stool, 

so  that  he  might  raise  his  head  occasionally  and  look 

upon  it  as  he  sat  at  his  daily  toil.     While  he  mused 

on  the   map  and  the   facts   it  represented,  "  the  fire 

burned."      It  was   the  means  of  inspiring  in  him  the 

purpose  never  to  tire  nor  rest  until  he  and  others  had 

gone  out  to  convey  the  good  news  of  the  gospel  to  his 

suffering  fellow-men  in  distant  lands.     It  was  to  this 

circumstance  that  William  Wilberforce  alluded,  in  a 

speech  made  in  the  House  of  Commons  twenty  years 

after,  when,  urging   Parliament  to  grant  missionaries 

free  access  to  India,  he   said :  "  A   sublimer  thought 

cannot  be  conceived  than  when  a  poor  cobbler  formed 

the  resolution  to  give  to  the  millions  of  Hindoos  the 

Bible  in  their  own  language." 

With   this   purpose   in   mind,   Carey  went   to   the 
meetings  of  his  brethren,  longing  for  an  opportunity 

L 


i62  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

of  expressing  his  thoughts  and  calling  forth  their 
sympathies.  But  he  had  to  endure  a  terrible  trial 
at  the  outset — a  trial  which  only  Christian  faith  and 
love  could  endure.  The  older  men,  who  ruled  in  an 
almost  supreme  manner  in  these  councils,  sternly  re- 
buked his  presumption,  as  they  deemed  it,  and  called 
him  an  "  enthusiast " — a  term  employed  very  recently 
by  a  noble  duke  in  the  House  of  Lords  in  the  same 
connection.  No  term  could  have  described  Carey 
more  correctly.  It  was  a  term  of  honour,  though 
meant  in  reproach  and  condemnation.  The  word 
means  one  inspired  by  God,  and  surely  Carey's  Christ- 
like thought  and  zeal  for  his  fellow-men  was  an  inspi- 
ration. He  was  an  enthusiast  of  the  type  of  Eobert 
Eaikes  of  Gloucester,  who  only  six  or  seven  years 
before^  had  begun  the  work  of  Sabbath  Schools  in 
that  city ;  or  John  Howard,  whose  great  work,  pub- 
lished within  a  year  or  two  of  this  time,^  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  prisons  in  Europe,  and  especially  in 
England  and  Ireland,  created  a  merciful  revolution  in 
the  treatment  of  our  criminal  class ;  or  Thomas  Charles 
of  Bala,  whose  pity  for  the  Welsh  girl  who  had  no 
Bible  of  her  own,  and  had  been  unable  to  walk  six  or 
seven  miles  to  a  place  where  she  could  have  access 
to  one,  led  him  to  take  steps  which  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 
The  founder  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  was  a 
man  of  this  type,  and  such  men  are  the  greatest  bene- 
factors of  their  race,  no  matter  whether  they  be  clergy- 
men like  Charles,  or  country  gentlemen  like  Howard,  or 
cobblers  and  Nonconformist  village  pastors  like  Carey. 

1  The  first  Sunday  School  was  opened  in  Gloucester  in  17S0. 
-  Viz.,  1789. 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  163 

At  the  first  meeting  in  which  Carey  ventured  to 
submit  the  subject  of  Christian  missions,  the  senior 
minister    present    spoke    in    the    following    oracular 
manner: — "Brother   Carey   ought   certainly   to   have 
known   that   nothing   could   be   done   before   another 
Pentecost,  when  an   effusion  of  miraculous  gifts,  in- 
cluding the  gift  of  tongues,  would  give   effect  to  the 
commission  of  Christ,  as  at  the  first ;  and  that  he  (Mr. 
Carey)  was  a  miserable  enthusiast  for  asking  such  a 
question."     And  then,  as  if  to  settle  the  whole  ques- 
tion once  for  all,  and   shut  the  mouth  of  Mr.  Carey 
for  ever,  the  stern  old   man  turned   to   the   humble 
young  pastor  and  said,  "  What,  sir !  can  you  preach  in 
Arabic,  in  Persic,  in  Hindostani,  in  Bengali,  that  you 
think  it  your  duty  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen?" 
Little  did  the  speaker  imagine  that  he  was  addressing 
the  very  man  who  would  subsequently  hold  the  office 
of  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages  at  Fort  William 
for  twenty  years,  become  one  of  the  greatest  proficients 
the  world  has   known  in  two  of  the  very  languages 
he  had  named,  and  not  only  preach  in  them  but  trans- 
late the  Scriptures  into  them,  as  a  boon  and  legacy  of 
love  to  the  people  of  Hindostan.     When  on  another 
occasion  Carey,  nothing  daunted  by  his  first  repulse, 
and  willing  to  forgive  and  forget  his  rebuff  for  the 
sake  of  the  cause   he   cherished,  asked  his  brethren 
once  more  to  consider  the  question  of  missions,  the  same 
stern  voice  exclaimed,  "  Young  man,  sit  down  ;  when 
God  pleases   to  convert  the  heathen,  He  will  do   it 
without  your  aid  or  mine." 

But  the  old  man  was  not  a  prophet.  God  did  not 
choose  to  work  without  the  aid  of  William  Carey, 
though  the  time  was  not  yet.     The  undaunted  moral 


1 64  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

hero  had  other  battles  to  fight  before  he  stood  on  the 
field  of  missions. 

In  1789  Carey  became  the  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Leicester.  For  four  years  he  laboured  zealously  at  his 
ministerial  duties,  studied  with  great  diligence,  availing 
himself  of  new  and  valuable  friendships  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  never  I'ailing  to  Ijring  up  his  favourite  theme 
for  discussion  at  the  meetings  of  the  Baptist  ministers. 
Before  he  left  Moulton,  as  we  have  seen,  he  began  to 
raise  the  question  in  the  public  assemblies.  On  one 
occasion  the  debate  ran  on  the  question  he  had 
introduced  "  Whether  it  were  not  jDracticable,  and  our 
boundeu  duty,  to  attempt  somewhat  towards  spreading 
the  gospel  in  the  heathen  world  ?  "  Not  satisfied  with 
the  result  of  such  discussions,  the  village  shoemaker 
and  pastor  sat  down  to  write  a  pamphlet  on  this 
subject,  entitled  "Thoughts  on  Christian  Missions." 
When  he  showed  this  pamphlet  to  his  friends  Fuller, 
Suttcliffe,  and  Eyland,  they  were  amazed  at  the 
amount  of  knowledge  it  displayed,  and  deeply  moved 
by  Carey's  zeal  and  persistence  in  the  good  cause ; 
but  all  they  could  do  in  the  matter  was  to  put  him 
off  for  a  time  by  counselling  him  to  revise  his  produc- 
tion. It  appears  that  at  the  time  this  brochure  was 
penned  the  poor  shoemaker  with  his  family  were  "in 
a  state  bordering  on  starvation,  and  passed  many  weeks 
without  animal  food,  and  with  but  a  scanty  supply  of 
bread." 

In  the  year  1 791,  at  a  meeting  held  at  Clipstone 
in  Xorthamptonshire,  Carey  again  read  his  pamphlet, 
and  was  requested  to  publish  it.  This  was  a  decided 
step  in  advance,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  events 
of  the  following  year,  when  the  desii'e  of  his  heart 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  165 

wavS  accomplished  in  the  formation  of  a  missionary 
society.  In  May  1792,  he  preached  the  famous 
sermon  which  is  said  to  have  done  more  than  anything 
else  to  consummate  this  missionary  enterprise/  The 
two  main  propositions  of  this  discourse  have  passed 
into  something  like  a  proverb  on  the  lips  of  missionary 
advocates :  "  Expect  great  things  from  God  ;  attempt 
great  things  for  God."  Although  the  discourse  made 
a  deep  impression,  Carey  was  distressed  beyond  all 
self-control  when  he  found  his  friends  were  about  to 
separate  without  a  distinct  resolution  to  form  a  society. 
He  seized  Andrew  Fuller's  hand  "  in  an  agony  of  dis- 
tress," and  tearfully  pleaded  that  some  steps  should  at 
once  be  taken.  Overcome  at  last  by  his  entreaties, 
they  solemnly  resolved  on  the  holy  enterprise. 

.After  this  the  history  of  the  Society  is  a  record  of 
meetings,  committees,  travels,  and  labours,  of  deputa- 
tions to  the  churches,  difficulties  and  embarrassments, 
in  the  midst  of  which  no  one  was  more  devoted  and 
useful  in  bringing  the  plans  of  the  young  Society  into 
working  order  than  Carey's  valuable  friend,  Andrew 
Fuller.  The  first  subscription  list  was  made  up  at 
another  meeting  of  the  Association,  held  at  Kettering, 
in  Carey's  own  county,  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year.  Its  promises  amounted  to  £iS>  2s.  6d.  This 
little  fund  was  the  precursor  of  the  tens  of  thousands 
which  have  since  flowed  into  the  treasuries  of  our 
modern  Christian  Missionary  Societies.      In   twenty- 

1  The  text  of  this  discourse  was  Isaiah  liv.  2,  3  :  "  Enlarge  the  place 
of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  thine  habitations : 
spare  not,  lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy  stakes ;  for  thou  shalt 
break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left ;  and  thy  seed  shall  in- 
herit the  Gentiles,  and  make  the  desolate  cities  to  be  inhabited." 


1 66  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

niue  days  after  the  fund  was  started   at  Kettering, 
Birmingham  followed  with  the  noble  gift  of  £yo. 

The  Society  was  now  fairly  started,  with  the  reso- 
lution formally  recorded  on  its  minute-book  "  to  convey 
the  message  of  salvation  to  some  portion  of  the  heathen 
world."  On  the  9th  of  January  1793,  Carey  and  a 
colleague  were  appointed  by  the  Committee  to  proceed 
at  once  to  India.  Carey's  colleague  was  a  man  of 
extraordinary  missionary  zeal,  who  had  "lately  returned 
from  Bengal,  and  was  endeavouring  to  establish  a  fund 
in  London  for  a  mission  to  that  country."  ^  He  was  a 
Baptist,  and  on  hearing  of  the  schemes  of  his  brethren 
in  England,  he  readily  fell  in  with  their  proposal  that 
he  should  accompany  Carey  to  India.  But  the  question 
of  finding  a  berth  on  an  English  vessel  was  not  easily 
settled.  No  English  captain  dare  take  them  out 
without  a  government  license,  and  to  obtain  a  license 
as  missionaries  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  Having  at 
one  time  gone  on  board  a  vessel  with  all  their  baggage, 
they  were  obliged  by  the  captain,  who  felt  that  he 
was  risking  his  commission  in  taking  them  on  board, 
to  land  again  and  return  to  London.  They  were  com- 
pelled at  length  to  have  recourse  to  a  Danish  vessel, 
the  Cron  Princessa  Maria,  whose  captain,  an  English- 
man by  birth,  though  naturalised  as  a  Dane,  looked 
favourably  on  their  enterprise.  On  the  i  3th  of  June 
1793,  Carey  and    his   companion  set  sail   from   the 

^  Quarterly  Revieiv,  Feb.  1809,  p.  197.  This  generous  article  on 
"  The  Periodical  Accounts  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society"  is  known 
to  have  been  written  by  Southey.  See  below.  Some  idea  of  Thomas's 
passionate  zeal  may  be  formed  from  certain  expressions  in  the  letters 
sent  home  after  Carey  and  he  had  arrived  in  India.  He  says,  "Never 
did  men  see  their  native  land  with  more  joy  than  we  left  it ;  but  thi» 
is  not  of  nature,  but  from  above,"  &c.     See  p.  223  of  same  article. 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  167 

shores  of  England,  their  expedition  as  ambassadors  for 
Christ  as  little  heeded  by  the  world  at  large  as  that  of 
the  Cilician  tentmaker  and  his  little  band  of  preachers 
who  set  sail  seventeen  centuries  before  from  the  port 
of  Alexandria  Troas  for  the  shores  of  Europe. 

The  story  of  Carey's  life  and  work  in  India  cannot 
be  followed  in  detail.  "VVe  have  come  to  the  close  of 
that  portion  of  his  history  which  properly  belongs  to 
these  brief  sketches  of  illustrious  shoemakers.  A  few 
sentences  must  suffice  to  give  a  picture  of  his  labours 
as  a  missionary  and  the  result  of  those  labours.  For 
six  or  seven  years  Carey  and  his  friends  had  to  endure 
much  hardship,  and  their  proceedings  were  hampered 
by  difficulties  of  various  kinds.  To  begin  with,  they 
had  no  legal  standing  in  the  country,  and  were  forced  at 
leiigth  to  take  up  their  quarters  under  tlie  Danish  flag  at 
Serampore.  "  Here  they  bought  a  house,  and  organised 
themselves  into  a  family  society,  resolving  that  whatever 
was  done  by  any  member  should  be  for  the  benefit  of 
the  mission.  They  opened  a  school,  in  which  the  chil- 
dren of  those  natives  who  chose  to  send  them  were 
instructed  gratuitously,"  ^  The  funds  supplied  from 
home  were  but  scanty,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
resort  to  trade  for  their  livelihood  and  the  means  of 
carrying  on  their  work.  "  Thomas,  who  was  a  surgeon, 
intended  to  support  himself  by  his  profession.  Carey's 
plan  was  to  take  land  and  cultivate  it  for  his  mainte- 
nance." ^  At  one  time,  when  funds  were  exhausted, 
Mr.  Carey  "  was  indebted  for  an  asylum  to  an  opulent 
native ; "  at  another  time,  driven  to  distraction  by 
want  of  money,  by  the  apparent  failure  of  his  plans, 

^  Quarterly  Review,  Feb.  1S09,  p.  197. 
2  Ibid. 


1 68  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and  the  upbraidings  of  liis  unsympathetic  partner,  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  the  Soonderbunds,  and 
took  a  small  grant  of  land,  which  he  proposed  to 
cultivate  for  his  own  maintenance ;  and,  later  on,  he 
thankfully  accepted,  as  a  way  out  of  his  difficulties 
and  a  means  of  furthering  his  missionary  projects,  the 
post  of  superintendent  of  an  indigo  factory  at  Mudna- 
batty.  This  post  he  held  for  five  or  six  years.  No 
sooner  had  he  got  into  this  position  of  comparative 
independence  than  he  wrote  home  and  proposed  that 
"  the  sum  which  might  be  considered  his  salary  should 
be  devoted  to  the  printing  of  the  Bengali  translation 
of  the  New  Testament."  This  generous  proposal  is  a 
fair  illustration  of  his  self-sacrificing  spirit  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  his  missionary  life.  To  the 
work  of  translating  and  circulating  the  Scriptures  in 
the  languages  of  India  he  devoted  not  only  all  his 
time  and  his  vast  mental  powers,  but  whatever  private 
funds  might  be  at  his  command.  As  the  work  pro- 
ceeded, and  he  became  known  and  employed  by  the 
government  in  various  professorships,  these  funds  were 
often  very  considerable.  In  1807,  when  Carey  held 
the  Professorship  of  Oriental  Languages  at  the  Fort- 
William  College,  at  a  salary  of  ^1200  a  year,  Mr. 
Ward,  one  of  his  colleagues,  wrote,  in  reply  to  some 
unfriendly  remarks  made  in  an  English  publication, 
that  Dr.  Carey  and  Mr.  Marshman  "  were  contributing 
;^2400  a  year,"  and  receiving  from  the  mission  fund 
"  only  their  food  and  a  trifle  of  pocket-money  for 
apparel." 

In  1 800  the  missionary  establishment,  now  strength- 
ened by  the  two  worthy  colleagues  just  named,  was 
removed    to    Serampore,  a   Danish   settlement   about 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  169 

fifteen  miles  from  Calcutta.  A  printing  press  and 
type  were  purchased,  and  the  work  of  printing  the 
Scriptures  commenced.  Carey  had  been  quietly  but 
most  diligently  going  on  with  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  into  Bengali  during  the  previous  years  of 
anxiety  and  varied  missionary  labour.  Whatever 
cares  weighed  on  brain  and  heart,  the  true  work  of 
his  life,  to  which  he  had  devoted  himself,  was  never 
relinquished. 

On  the    1 8th  of  March    1800,  the  first  sheets  of 
the  Bengali  New  Testament  were  struck  off,  and  on 
the  7th  of  February  in  the  following  year,  "  Mr.  Carey 
enjoyed  the  supreme  gratification  of  receiving  the  last 
sheet  of  the  Bengali  New  Testament  from  the  press, 
the  fruition  of  the  '  sublime  thought '  which  he  had 
conceived  fifteen  years  before."     It  is  not  surprising 
that   we   should    read    the    following    record    of   the 
manner  in  which  these  humble  missionaries  expressed 
their  devout  gratitude  to  God  on  the  consummation  of 
this  part  of  their  Christian  labours : — "  As  soon  as  the 
first  copy  was  bound,  it  was  placed  on  the  communion 
table  in  the  chapel,  and  a  meeting  wms  held  of  the 
whole  of  the  mission  family,  and  of  the  converts  re- 
cently baptized,  to  offer  a  tribute  of  gratitude  to  God 
for  this  great  blessing."     In  1806  the  New  Testament 
was  ready  for  the  press  in  Sanscrit,  the  sacred  language 
of  India,  the  language  of  its  most  ancient  and  venerated 
writings,  and  the  parent  of  nearly  all  the  languages 
of    modern   India.      Simultaneously    with   this    were 
being  issued  proof-sheets  of  the   New  Testament  in 
Mahratta,    Orissa,    Persian,    and    Hindustani,   besides 
dictionaries  and  grammars,  and  other  publications  for 
the  use  of  students.      It  is  well-nigh  impossible  to 


lyo  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

form  a  correct  idea  of  the  amount  of  religious  zeal, 
mental  energy,  and  physical  endurance  involved  in 
labours  like  those  of  Dr.  Carey,  extending  over  forty 
years  in  the  climate  of  Bengal  He  is  said  to  have 
regularly  tired  out  three  pundits,  or  native  interpreters, 
who  came  one  after  the  other  each  day  to  assist  him 
in  the  correction  and  revision  of  his  translations.  A 
letter  written  in  1807,  when  the  degree  of  D.D.  was 
conferred  on  Mr.  Carey  by  the  Brown  University, 
United  States,  gives  a  graphic  sketch  of  the  ordinary 
day's  work  performed  by  him  at  this  period  : — "  He 
rises  a  little  before  six,  reads  a  chapter  in  the  Hebrew 
Bible,  and  spends  the  time  till  seven  in  jjrivate  devo- 
tion. He  then  has  family  prayer  with  the  servants 
in  Bengali,  after  which  he  reads  Persian  with  a 
moonshee  who  is  in  attendance.  As  soon  as  breakfast 
is  over  he  sits  down  to  the  translation  of  the  Eamayun 
with  his  pundit  till  ten,  when  he  proceeds  to  the 
college  and  attends  to  its  duties  till  two,  Eeturning 
home,  he  examines  a  proof-sheet  of  the  Bengali  trans- 
lation, and  dines  with  his  friend  Mr.  Bolt.  After 
dinner  he  translates  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  with  the 
aid  of  the  chief  pundit  of  the  college.  At  six  he  sits 
down  with  the  Telugu  pundit  to  the  study  of  that 
language,  and  then  preaches  a  sermon  in  English  to  a 
congregation  of  about  fifty.  The  service  ended,  he  sits 
down  to  the  translation  of  Ezekiel  into  Bengali,  having 
thrown  aside  his  former  version.  At  eleven  the  duties 
of  the  day  are  closed,  and  after  reading  a  chapter  in 
the  Greek  Testament  and  commending  himself  to  God 
he  retires  to  rest."  ^ 

1  "  Carey,  Marshman,  and  Ward,"  by  J.  C.  Marshman.     London  : 
J.  Heaton  &  Son.    1S64. 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  171 

Strangely  enough,  about  this  time  a  controversy  was 
soins  on  in  certain  Enolish  iournals  as  to  the  value 
of  the  work  that  Carey  and  his  coadjutors  were  doing 
in  India.  We  have  no  wish  to  speak  bitterly  of  the 
satire  and  severity  of  the  articles  written  by  Sydjiey 
Smith  in  the  Edinlimjh  Review.  They  were  not 
simply  sallies  of  wit,  but  serious  essays,  written  in  a 
spirit  of  deliberate  hostility  to  this  missionary  enter- 
prise. What  else  can  be  thought  of  an  article  com- 
mencing with  words  like  these:  "In  rooting  out  a  nest 
of  consecrated  cobblers,  and  in  bringing  to  light  such 
a  perilous  heap  of  trash  as  we  are  obliged  to  work 
throu'^h  in  our  articles  on  Methodists  and  missionaries, 

O 

we  are  generally  considered  to  have  rendered  a  useful 
service  to  the  cause  of  rational  religion."  Such  articles 
condemned  themselves  ;  and  it  is  fair  to  add  that  their 
author  himself  lived  to  regard  them  as  a  mistake,  and 
to  express  to  Lord  Macaulay  his  regret  that  he  had 
ever  written  them.^ 

But  even  in  that  day  Carey  and  his  heroic  band  of 
Christian  fellow-labourers  had  plenty  of  sympathisers 
and  supporters  both  in  the  Church  of  England  and  the 
Nonconformist  denominations.  Eobert  Southey  the 
poet  came  forward  with  generous  enthusiasm  in  their 
defence,  and  in  a  carefully-written  article  in  the 
Quarterly  Review^  vindicated  their  character  and 
labours.  Amongst  other  remarkable  statements  in 
their  behalf,  he  was  able  to  say:  "These  'low-born 
and  low-bred  mechanics '  have  translated  the  whole 
Bible  into  Bengali,  and  have  by  this  time  printed  it. 
They  are  printing  the  New  Testament  in  the  Sanscrit, 

1  "Carey,  Marshman,  and  Ward,"  p.  137. 
*  Quarterly  Eevieiv,  Feb.  1S09,  pp.  224,  225. 


172  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

the  Orissa,  the  Mahratta,  the  Hindostani,  the  Giizerat, 
and  translating  it  into  Persic,  Telinga,  Carnata,  Chinese, 
the  language  of  the  Sieks  and  the  Burmans,  and  in 
four  of  these  languages  they  are  going  on  with  the 
Bible.  Extraordinary  as  this  is,  it  will  appear  still 
more  so  when  it  is  remembered  that  of  these  men  one 
was  originally  a  shoemaker,  another  a  printer  at  Hull, 
and  the  third  the  master  of  a  charity-school  at  Bristol. 
Only  fourteen  years  have  elapsed  since  Thomas  and 
Carey  set  foot  in  India,  and  in  that  time  these  mis- 
sionaries have  acquired  the  gift  of  tongues.  In  four- 
teen years  these  '  low-born,  low-bred  mechanics '  have 
done  more  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures 
among  the  heathen  than  has  been  accomplished  or 
even  attempted  by  all  the  world  beside.  A  plain 
statement  of  fact  will  be  the  best  proof  of  their  dili- 
gence and  success.  The  first  convert  was  baptized  in 
December  1 800,1  and  in  seven  years  after  that  time 
the  number  has  amounted  to  109,  of  whom  nine  were 
afterwards  excluded  or  suspended,  or  had  been  lost 
sight  of.  Carey  and  his  son  have  been  in  Bengal 
fourteen  years,  the  other  brethren  only  nine.  They 
had  all  a  difficult  language  to  acquire  before  they  could 
speak  to  a  native,  and  to  preach  and  argue  in  it  re- 
quired a  thorough  and  familiar  knowledge.  Under 
these  circumstances  the  wonder  is,  not  that  they  have 
done  so  little,  but  that  they  have  done  so  much ;  for 
it  will  be  found  that,  even  without  this  difficulty  to 
retard  them,  no  religious  opinions  have  spread  more 

^  Viz.,  Krishnu,  who  was  baptized  at  the  same  time  as  Carey's  son 
Felix.  The  ceremony  was  performed  at  the  Ghaut,  or  landing-stairs 
of  the  Mahanuddy,  in  the  presence  of  the  Governor  and  a  crowd  of 
Hindoos  and  Mohammedans. 


WILLIAM  CAREY.  173 

rapidly  in  the  same  time,  unless  there  was  some  re- 
markable folly  or  extravagance  to  recommend  them, 
or  some  powerful  worldly  inducement."  This  liberal 
Tory  and  evangelical  High  Churchman  goes  on  to  say  : 
"  Other  missionaries  from  other  societies  have  now 
entered  India,  and  will  soon  become  efficient  labourers 
in  their  station.  From  Government  all  that  is  asked 
is  toleration  for  themselves  and  protection  for  their 
converts.  The  plan  which  they  have  laid  for  their 
own  proceedings  is  perfectly  prudent  and  unexcep- 
tionable, and  there  is  as  little  fear  of  their  provoking 
martyrdom  as  there  would  be  of  their  shrinking  from 
it  if  the  cause  of  God  and  man  require  the  sacrifice." 

Having  lived  to  see  his  desire  accomplished  in  the 
establishment  of  many  other  missionary  societies  be- 
sides his  own ;  having  been  the  means  of  translating 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  in  the  languages  spoken  probably 
by  two  hundred  millions  of  people ;  this  good  man, 
working  up  to  the  close  of  his  life,  died  at  Calcutta  on 
the  9th  of  June  1834.  As  he  lay  ill.  Lady  Beutinck, 
the  wife  of  the  Governor-General,  paid  him  frequent 
visits,  and  good  "  Bishop  Wilson  came  and  besought 
his  blessing."  He  instructed  his  executors  to  place 
no  memorial  over  his  tomb  but  the  following  simple 

inscription : — 

WILLIAM  CAREY, 
Born  August  1761  ;   Died  June  1834. 
"A  wrelclieil,  poor,  and  helpless  worm. 
On  Thy  kind  arms  I  fall." 

Mr.  Marshman,  who  had  the  best  means  of  knowing 
Carey  and  his  work,^  says :  "  The  basis  of  all  his  ex- 

^  John  Clark  Mar.shnia,n  was  the  sou  of  Dr.  Marahman,  Carey's 
colleague  at  Serauipore. 


174  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

cellences  was  deep  and  unaffected  piety.  So  great 
was  his  love  of  integrity  that  he  never  gave  his  con- 
fidence where  he  was  not  certain  of  the  existence  of 
moral  worth.  He  was  conspicuous  for  constancy, 
both  in  the  pursuits  of  life  and  the  associations  of 
friendship.  With  great  simplicity  he  united  the 
strongest  decision  of  character.  He  never  took  credit 
for  anything  but  plodding,  but  it  was  the  plodding  of 
genius."  In  all  his  work,  however  successful,  how- 
ever honoured  by  his  fellow-men,  "William  Carey  was 
modest  and  simple-hearted  as  a  child.  His  unparalleled 
labours  as  a  translator  of  the  Scriptures  were  per- 
formed under  the  prompting  of  sublime  faith  in  Divine 
truth,  warm  unwavering  love  to  souls,  and  an  assured 
confidence  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  The  shoemaker  of  Northamptonshire  will  be 
remembered  till  the  end  of  the  world  as  the  Christian 
Apostle  of  Northern  India. 


3obn  pounds, 

THE    PHILANTHROPIC   SHOEMAKER. 


"  His  virtues  walked  their  narrow  round, 
Nor  made  a  pause,  nor  left  a  void  ; 
And  sure  the  Eternal  Master  found 
His  single  talent  well  employed." 

— Dr.  Samuel  Johnson. 

"  'A.  ycung  lady  once  said  to  him,  '  0  Mr.  Pounds,  I  wish  you  were 
rich,  you  would  do  so  much  good  ! '  The  old  man  paused  a  few  seconds 
and  then  replied,  '  Well,  I  don't  know  ;  if  I  had  been  rich  I  might, 
perhaps,  have  been  much  the  same  as  other  rich  people.  This  I  know, 
there  is  not  now  a  happier  man  in  England  than  John  Pounds  ;  and  I 
think  'tis  best  as  it  is.'  " — Memoir  of  John  Pounds,  p.  I2. 

"As  vmknown,  and  yet  well  known  ;  .  .  .  as  poor,  yet  malcing  many 
rich." — The  Apostle  Paul.     2  Cor.  vi.  9,  10. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of 
the  least  of  these  My  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me." — Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.    Matt,  xxv,  40. 


(   ^n   ) 


JOHN  POUNDS. 


5((1N    1837   there  lived  at  Landport  and  Ports- 


0^     mouth  two  notable  shoemakers.     The  Land- 


itelM     .- 

3^'^!  port  man  combined  with  his  daily  task  as  a 
shoemaker  the  delightful  occupation  of  sketching  and 
painting,  and  obtained  a  local  fame  as  an  artist.  The 
Portsmouth  man  found  in  the  work  of  teaching  poor 
rag'ged  children  to  read  and  write  and  cipher  his 
greatest  relaxation  from  the  drudgery  of  daily  toil 
and  his  purest  enjoyment,  and  has  become  known,  we 
may  safely  affirm,  throughout  the  Christian  world,  as 
a  philanthropist,  and  one  of  the  first  men  in  this 
country  who  conceived  and  carried  out  the  idea  of 
Eagged  Schools.  The  shoemaker-artist  had  a  great  ad- 
miration for  the  shoemaker-philanthropist  and  painted 
a  picture  representing  him  in  his  humble  workroom, 
engaged  in  his  double  occupation  as  shoemaker  and 
schoolmaster,  with  a  last  between  his  knees  and  a 
number  of  children  standing  before  him  receiving  in- 
struction. The  artist's  name  was  Sheaf,  and  his  in- 
teresting picture  represented  John  Pounds  occupied  in 
his  benevolent  work  as  a  gratuitous  teacher  of  the 
neglected  children  of  his  native  town.  Sheaf  sold  his 
picture  to  Edward  Carter,  Esq.,  of  Portsmouth,  a  warm 
admirer  of  John  Pounds,  and  one  of  his  best  friends 

M 


178  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and  helpers  in  his  work.  This  picture  was  afterwards 
engraved  by  Mr.  Charpentier  of  Portsmouth,  and  it  is 
to  a  copy  of  the  engraving  the  renowned  Dr.  Guthrie 
of  Edinburgh  refers  in  the  following  story  : — 

"  It  is  rather  curious,  at  least  it  is  interesting  to  me, 
that  it  was  by  a  picture  that  I  was  first  led  to  take 
an  interest  in  Eagged  Schools — a  picture  in  an  old, 
obscure,  decayed  burgh,  that  stands  on  the  shore  of 
the  Firth  of  Forth.  I  had  gone  thither  with  a  com- 
panion on  a  pilgrimage  ;  not  that  there  was  any  beauty 
about  the  place,  for  it  had  no  beauty.  It  has  little 
trade.  Its  deserted  harbour,  silent  streets,  and  old 
houses,  some  of  them  nodding  to  their  fall,  give  indi- 
cations of  decay.  But  one  circumstance  has  redeemed 
it  from  obscurity,  and  will  preserve  its  name  to  the 
latest  ages.  It  was  the  birthplace  of  Thomas  Chalmers. 
I  went  to  see  this  place.  It  is  many  years  ago,  and 
going  into  an  inn  for  refreshments,  I  found  the  room 
covered  with  pictures  of  shepherdesses  with  their  crooks, 
and  tars  in  holiday  attire,  not  very  interesting.  But 
above  the  chimney-piece  there  stood  a  large  print, 
more  respectable  than  its  neighbours,  which  a  skipper, 
the  captain  of  one  of  the  few  ships  that  trade  between 
that  town  and  England,  had  probably  brought  there. 
It  represented  a  cobbler's  room.  The  cobbler  was  there 
himself,  spectacles  on  nose,  an  old  shoe  between  his 
knees,  the  massive  forehead  and  firm  mouth  expressing 
great  determination  of  character,  and  below  his  bushy 
eyebrows  benevolence  gleamed  out  on  a  number  of 
poor  ragged  boys  and  girls  who  stood  at  their  lessons 
around  the  busy  cobbler.  My  curiosity  was  excited, 
and  on  the  inscription  I  read  how  this  man,  John 
Pounds,  a  cobbler  in  Portsmouth,  taking  pity  on  the 


JOHN  POUNDS.  179 

poor  ragged  children,  left  by  ministers  and  magistrates, 
and  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  run  in  the  streets,  had, 
like  a  good  shepherd,  gathered  in  the  wretched  out- 
casts ;  how  he  had  brought  them  to  God  and  the 
world ;  and  how,  while  earning  his  bread  by  the 
sweat  of  his  brow,  he  had  rescued  from  misery,  and 
saved  to  society,  not  less  than  live  hundred  of  these 
children."'^ 

The  biography  of  some  of  the  best  and  most  useful 
men  the  world  has  known  may  be  written  almost  in  a 
sentence.  In  the  Old  Testament  there  is  a  biography 
of  this  kind  in  the  words,  "  And  Enoch  walked  with 
God:  and  he  was  not;  for  God  took  him."^  In  the 
New  Testament  there  is  another  of  a  similar  character 
in  the  brief  sentence,  "  There  was  a  certain  man  in 
Ca?sarea  called  Cornelius,  a  centurion  of  the  band 
called  the  Italian  ha^id,  a  devout  man,  and  one  that 
feared  God  with  all  his  house,  who  gave  much  alms 
to  the  people,  and  prayed  to  God  alway."^  The  life- 
story  of  John  Pounds  is  told  in  the  last  sentence  of 
Dr.  Guthrie's  narrative ;  yet  a  few  farther  details  of 
the  life  and  work  of  this  noble-hearted  man  will  be 
read  with  interest  by  all  who  venerate  true  worth  and 
take  pleasure  in  contemplating  acts  of  Christ-like 
charity  and  mercy. 

John  Pounds  was  born  at  Portsmouth  on  the  i/tli 
of  June  1766.  He  was  only  twelve  years  old  when 
his  father,  a  sawyer  employed  in  the  Government  dock- 
yard, had  him  bound  apprentice  as  a  shipwright  in  the 
same  yard.      He  was  then  a  strong  active  boy,  and 

^  "  Anecdotes  and  Stories,"  by  Rev.  Thomas  Guthrie,  D.D.     London : 
Houlston  &  Wright,  pp.  156,  157. 

-  Gen.  V.  24.  3  Acts,  x.  i,  2. 


i8o  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

worked  with  his  father  in  the  yard  until  an  accident 
maimed  him  for  life,  and  made  him  incapable  of  work- 
ing as  a  shipwright.  He  fell  into  a  dry-dock  and  broke 
one  of  his  thigh-bones,  at  the  same  time  dislocating 
the  joint.  Whether  the  fracture  was  neglected  or 
not  we  do  not  know ;  but,  from  some  cause  or  other, 
poor  Pounds  went  lame  ever  after.  From  the  art  of 
making  ships  he  was  now  fain  to  turn  to  that  of  making 
shoes,  and  finding  an  old  man  in  High  Street,  Ports- 
mouth, who  was  willing  to  give  the  needful  instruction, 
John  Pounds,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  became  a  sJtoe- 
maher.  Indeed,  he  would  scarcely  have  claimed  that 
title  of  dignity  for  himself ;  for  his  chief  thoughts  were 
given  to  other  affairs,  so  that  he  was  never  an  adept  at 
his  craft,  and  would  in  all  probability  have  preferred 
to  be  set  down  as  "  only  a  cobbler."  It  was  not  until 
1804,  when  Pounds  was  thirty-eight  years  of  age, 
that  "he  ventured  to  become  a  tenant  on  his  own 
account  of  the  small,  weather-boarded  tenement  in 
St.  Mary's  Street."  It  was  in  this  humble  abode 
that  John  Pounds  lived  and  worked  and  carried  on 
in  his  benevolent  labours  for  thirty- five  years.  The 
room  appears  to  have  been  about  the  size  and  shape 
of  an  open  third-class  railway  carriage,  and  the  entire 
tenement  had  more  the  appearance  of  a  shanty  or 
hut  than  an  ordinary  dwelling-house.  Yet  it  was 
amply  sufficient  for  the  poor  cobbler's  purposes,  and 
served  as  the  field  of  operations  in  all  his  benevolent 
enterprises. 

Pounds  lived  alone  in  his  snug  little  home ;  and  as 
his  earnings,  though  small,  were  more  than  enough  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  a  bachelor,  he  felt  it  right 
to  do  something  to  assist  his  poor  relatives.     He  had 


JOHN  POUNDS.  i8i 

a  brother — a  seafaring  man — whose  family  was  large 
and  stood  in  need  of  assistance.  John  accordingly 
proposed  to  take  one  of  his  brother's  children  and 
clothe,  board,  and  educate  him  as  if  he  had  been  his 
own.  With  characteristic  generosity  of  spirit,  he 
selected  a  poor  little  fellow  who  was  a  cripple.  The 
child's  feet  turned  inwards,  and,  as  he  walked,  he  had 
to  lift  them  one  over  another.  The  tender-hearted 
cobbler  could  not  endure  to  see  the  deformity,  and 
soon  devised  the  means  of  remedy.  A  neighbour's 
child  who  suffered  in  the  same  way  had  been  pro- 
vided by  a  surgeon  with  a  set  of  irons  which  straight- 
ened his  feet  and  enabled  him  to  walk  properly. 
Unable  to  purchase  irons  for  his  own  little  charge, 
Pounds  set  to  work  to  construct  something  in  lieu  of 
them  to  answer  the  same  purpose.  His  apparatus, 
made  out  of  old  shoe  soles,  answered  admirably,  and 
he  soon  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  the  little 
fellow  entirely  cured  of  his  defect.  This  boy  grew 
up  under  his  uncle's  care,  was  put  apprentice  to  a 
fashionable  shoemaker,  and  lived  with  Pounds  till  the 
time  of  his  death. 

When  his  nephew  was  old  enough  to  begin  to 
learn  to  read,  John  Pounds  resolved  to  do  the  work 
of  a  schoolmaster  himself ;  and,  thinking  that  his 
little  pupil  would  get  on  better  if  he  had  a  com- 
panion, he  began  to  look  round  for  some  one  to  share 
the  benefit  of  his  instructions.  He  selected  a  poor 
little  urchin,  "  the  son  of  a  poor  woman  who  went 
about  selling  puddings,  her  homeless  child,  unable  to 
accompany  her,  being  left  in  the  open  street  amidst 
frost  and  snow,  with  no  other  shelter  than  the  over- 


i82  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

hanging  shade  of  a  bay-window."  ^  Other  pupils 
were  added  in  course  of  time,  and  the  shoemaker  soon 
began  to  take  great  delight  in  the  work  of  teaching. 
It  was  not  very  difficult  in  Portsmouth  to  find  plenty 
of  children  whose  education  and  training  were  en- 
tirely neglected  by  their  parents,  and  who  were 
suffered  to  run  about  the  streets  in  the  most  rasfcred 

DO 

and  destitute  condition.  The  sight  of  these  children 
moved  him  to  pity;  and,  once  embarked  on  the 
enterprise  of  reforming  and  teaching  them,  Pounds 
could  not  rest  content  with  having  half-a-dozen  or  a 
dozen  of  them  under  his  care,  but  went  on  gathering 
them  into  his  room  until  he  had,  in  the  later  years 
of  his  life,  an  average  of  forty  poor  children  under 
his  charge  at  a  time.  He  loved  his  work  all  the 
more  because  it  was  entirely  gratuitous,  and  because 
he  knew  that  if  these  poor  children  were  not  thus 
taught  they  would  never  be  taught  at  all,  but  grow  up 
in  ignorance,  misery,  and  vice.  No  amount  of  pains, 
self-sacrifice,  and  anxiety  was  too  much  for  this  true 
disciple  of  Christ  to  pay  for  the  satisfaction  of  doing 
such  children  good,  and  enriching  and  ennobling  all 
their  future  lives. 

The  editor  of  the  "  Memoir  of  John  Pounds  "  thus 
describes  the  cobbler  in  the  midst  of  his  scholars  : — 
"  His  humble  workshop  was  about  six  feet  wide  and 
about  eighteen  feet  in  depth,  in  the  midst  of  which 
he   would  sit  on  his  stool,  with  his  last  or  lapstone 

^  "A  Memoir  of  John  Pounds."  Foord,  Stationer,  Landport ;  p.  9. 
The  writer  is  indebted  to  this  brief  memoir  for  most  of  the  facts 
stated  in  this  sketch.  He  is  also  indebted  for  information  to  the 
courtesy  of  Rev.  T.  Timmins,  Portsmouth,  pastor  of  the  congregation 
of  which  John  Pounds  was  a  member. 


1 


JOHN  POUNDS.  183 

on  his  knee,  and  other  implements  by  his  side,  going 
on  with  his  work  and  attending  at  the  same  time  to 
the  pursuits  of  the  whole  assemblage — some  of  whom 
were  reading  by  his  side,  writing  from  his  dictation, 
or  showing  up  their  sums  ;  others  seated  around  on 
forms  or  boxes  on  the  floor,  or  on  the  steps  of  a  small 
staircase  in  the  rear.  Although  the  master  seemed 
to  know  where  to  look  for  each  and  to  maintain  a 
due  command  over  all,  yet  so  small  was  the  room, 
and  so  deficient  in  the  usual  accommodation  of  a 
school,  that  the  scene  appeared  to  the  observer  from 
without  to  be  a  mere  crowd  of  children's  heads  and 
faces." ' 

The  smalluess  of  his  room  made  selection  necessary 
when  the  number  of  candidates  for  instruction  be- 
came unusually  large.  In  this  case  he  always  chose 
the  worst  and  most  desperate  cases,  preferring  to  take 
in  hand  "  the  little  blackguards,"  as  he  termed  them, 
and  turn  them  into  decent  members  of  society.  At 
other  times,  "  he  has  been  seen  to  follow  such  to  the 
town-quay,  and  hold  out  in  his  hand  to  them  the 
bribe  of  a  roasted  potato  to  induce  them  to  come  to 
school."  ^  On  fine  warm  days  the  school  "  ran  over  " 
into  the  street,  the  children  who  behaved  best  being 
allowed  to  sit  near  the  door,  or  on  a  bench  outside. 

His  method  of  teaching  was  of  the  simplest  and 
most  graphic  character,  and  seemed,  altliough  John 
Pounds,  of  course,  knew  nothing  of  such  things,  to 
combine  the  features  of  the  Pestalozzian  and  Kinder 
Garten  systems.  He  would  point  to  the  different 
parts  of  the  body,  get  the  pupil  to  tell  their  names, 
and  then  to  spell  them.       Taking  a  child's  hand,  he 

^  "  Memoir  of  John  Pounds,"  p.  10.  ^  Ibid.,  p.  10. 


1 84  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

would  say,  "  What  is  this  ?  Spell  it."  Then  slap- 
ping it  he  would  saj,  "  What  did  I  do  ?  Spell 
that." 

With  the  older  pupils  he  went  as  far  as  his  know- 
ledge would  allow  of,  teaching  them  to  read  by  means 
of  handbills,  or  making  use  of  such  old  school-books 
as  he  had  been  able  to  beg,  or  buy  cheap.  Slate  and 
pencils  only  were  used  for  teaching  writing,  "  yet  a 
creditable  degree  of  skill  was  acquired,  and  in  cipher- 
ing, the  Eule  of  Three  and  Practice  were  performed 
with  accuracy." 

Pounds  made  efforts  to  clothe  and  feed  as  well  as 
educate  his  destitute  pupils,  many  of  whom  were  in  a 
deplorable  condition  of  rags  and  dirt.  He  was  anxious 
to  take  them  with  him  on  Sundays  to  the  meeting- 
house which  he  attended,  and  would  have  them 
decently  clad  and  properly  washed.  "  In  one  corner 
of  his  room  was  a  bag  full  of  all  sorts  of  garments  for 
girls  and  boys,  which  he  had  begged  and  mended,  to 
be  worn  by  his  scholars  on  Sundays,  and  when  they 
went  with  him  to  the  house  of  God.  The  garments 
took  the  place  of  worse  ones ;  for  John  took  pride  in 
the  decent,  clean  appearance  of  his  pupils.  Imagine 
him  on  a  Sunday  morning,  with  his  children  round 
him,  and  his  big  bag  open,  and  his  handing  the  gar- 
ments round,  with  the  soul  of  kindness  in  his  eyes 
and  the  joy  of  God  in  his  heart ! "  ^  He  might  often 
have  been  seen  on  Saturday  nights  going  round  to  the 
bakehouses  to  buy  bread  for  his  poor  children  to  eat 
on  Sundays,  gathering  it  into  his  huge  leathern  apron, 
and,  when  his  money  was  all  spent,  standing  still  with 
a  troubled  look,  searching  in  all  his  pockets  for  a  few 

^  Rev.  T.  Timmins,  Portsmouth,  in  a  letter  to  the  writer. 


JOHN  POUNDS.  185 

more  coppers  in  order  to  secure  yet  one  more  loaf  to 
add  to  his  store. 

When  he  was  in  need  of  books  for  his  pupils,  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  go  to  the  houses  of  well-to-do 
citizens  and  explain  his  case,  and  ask  them  for  aid. 
For  the  most  part,  he  met  with  much  kindness  and 
sympathy,  for  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Portsmouth 
and  the  neighbouring  towns  knew  the  benevolent 
cobbler  of  St.  Mary's  Street.  But  now  and  then  he 
met  with  rebuffs  from  those  who  did  not  know  him, 
or  from  churlish  souls  who  could  not  feel  for  the 
sufferings  of  the  poor.  If  he  alone  had  suffered  from 
these  rebuffs,  the  brave  and  sensible  old  man  would 
have  borne  them  calmly  enough ;  but  a  word  spoken 
against  his  helpless  little  scholars  was  enough  at  any 
tiriie  to  rouse  his  warmest  feelings.  Once  he  called 
on  a  gentleman  of  considerable  means  to  ask  the 
favour  of  a  few  old  disused  books  for  the  use  of  the 
pupils  in  reading.  "  Let  them  huij  books  !  "  was  the 
only  response  he  got  to  his  generous  appeal.  "  Poor 
little  beggars  ! "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  they  can  scarcely  get 
bread,  let  alone  books,"  and  turned  away  with  ill- 
concealed  disgust  from  the  gentleman's  presence. 

Pounds  taught  his  pupils  many  other  things  besides 
"  the  three  E's."  Many  of  the  boys  received  instruction 
in  the  useful  arts  of  shoe-mending  and  tailoring,  so  that 
when  they  grew  up  they  found  their  little  knowledge 
of  great  practical  utility.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to 
teach  the  lads  and  lasses  how  to  cook  their  plain  food, 
and  make  the  best  of  everything.  In  fact,  nothing 
that  children  required  to  make  them  happy  and  com- 
fortable, and  to  fit  them  for  the  duties  of  after-years, 
did  the  good  cobbler  overlook  or  neglect.      He  made 


1 86  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

their  playthings — bats,  balls,  crossbows,  shuttlecocks, 
kites,  what-not ;  went  out  with  them  on  holiday  and 
festive  gatherings  ;  got  them  gifts  of  tea  and  cake,  and 
had  them  assembled  in  a  neighbouring  schoolroom  for 
public  examination ;  saw  that  they  were  included  at 
the  public  dinners,  such  as  the  celebration  of  Her 
Majesty's  coronation  in  1837  ;  and  from  year  to  year 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  them  grow  up  and  take 
honourable  and  useful  positions  in  society.  This,  in 
fact,  was  his  reward — all  he  looked  for,  all  he  ever  had, 
except  the  approval  of  Him  Who  said,  "  Inasmuch 
as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  My 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me." 

It  was  no  uncommon  thing  during  the  last  years  of 
John  Pounds'  life  for  some  fine,  manly  fellow,  soldier 
or  sailor  on  furlough,  or  workman  passing  through  the 
town,  to  turn  in  at  the  old  room,  where  the  good 
cobbler  was  still  going  on  with  his  good  work,  in  order 
to  shake  hands  with  him,  and  thank  him,  while  the 
big  tears  stood  in  the  eyes  of  both  master  and  pupil, 
as  the  latter  spoke  of  his  rescue  from  starvation, 
poverty,  or  crime,  and  of  the  fair  start  in  life  which 
he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  worthy  cobbler. 
And  to  this  day  there  are  men  and  women  by  the 
score,  in  respectable  and  comfortable  positions,  who 
can  tell  the  same  tale.  "During  the  seven  years 
I  have  been  minister  here,"  writes  the  pastor  of  the 
chapel  in  the  graveyard  of  which  John  Pounds  was 
buried,  "  I  have  seen  paying  a  pilgrimage  to  his  tomb 
a  number  of  those  who  were  taught  by  him,  and  who, 
passing  through  the  town,  or  coming  for  a  short  time 
to  Portsmouth  (as  they  belonged  to  the  army  or  navy), 
thus  showed  their  jrrateful  feeling  towards  their  vene- 


JOHN  POUNDS.  187 

rated  teacher  and  friend.  They  have  told  me  iu 
touching  language,  and  almost  sobbing  the  while,  of 
the  debt  of  gratitude  they  owed  him." 

The  useful  life  of  this  philanthropist  came  to  an 
end  on  New  Year's   Day   1839.     A   few  days  pre- 
viously he  went  to  the  house  of  his  friend  Edward 
Carter,  Esq.,  who  then  lived  in  High  Street,  Ports- 
mouth, to  acknowledge  certain  acts  of  kindness  done 
in  behalf  of  his  little  scholars.     Wliile  ther€,  he  saw 
the   painting   referred    to   at    the   beginning   of    this 
sketch,  which  that  gentleman  had  purchased  of  Mr. 
Sheaf,  the  shoemaker-artist.     The  simple-minded  man, 
whose  love  for  dumb  animals  and  domestic  pets  was 
one  of   the  most   amiable   features   in  his  character, 
seemed  to  be  more  pleased  by  finding  his  favourite  cat 
included  in  the  picture  than  by  any  other  part  of  the 
painting.      He  then  showed  Mr.  Carter  the  writing 
and  ciphering  lessons  of  one  of  the  pupils,  and  asked 
for  aid  in  procuring  copyboolvS.      A  day  or  two  after 
this  John  Pounds  again  called  on  his  friend,  and  while 
conversing  with  him  on  matters  connected  with  the 
school,   fell  down   as   if  fainting.     Medical   aid   was 
called  in,  but  John  l*ounds  was  dead  before  the  doctor 
arrived.     The  body  was  conveyed  to  the  little  room  in 
St.  Mary   Street,   where    about   thirty   children  were 
waiting  for  their  teacher  to  come  and  commence  the 
day's   work,   and   "wondering   what    had   become   of 
him."     Terror  and  grief  seized  upon  the  minds  of  the 
children   when  they   saw   the    lifeless   body  of  their 
kind  teacher  borne  into  the  room  and  laid  upon  the 
bed.      On  the  following  day  a  group  of  children  might 
have  been  seen  standing  at  the  door  weeping  because 
they   could   not   be   admitted.     Day   after   day  "  the 


1 88  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

younger  ones  came,  looked  about  the  room,  and  not 
finding  their  friend,  went  away  disconsolate." 

Mr.  Martell,  the  physician  who  had  been  called  in 
when  Pounds  was  dying,  asked  the  favour  of  being 
allowed  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  funeral.  John 
Pounds  was  buried  in  the  graveyard  of  the  chapel  in 
High  Street  where  he  had  been  a  constant  worshipper. 
A  large  number  of  people  gathered  round  the  grave, 
amongst  -whom  the  most  conspicuous  and  sincere 
mourners  were  the  children  now  bereaved  of  their 
teacher  and  best  earthly  friend. 

A  tablet  was  placed  on  the  wall  of  the  High  Street 
Chapel  bearing  the  following  inscription : — 

Erected  by  Friends 
As  A  Memorial  of  their  Esteem  and  Respect 

FOR 

JOHN  POUNDS  ; 

"Who,  while  Earning  his  Livelihood 

By  Mending  Shoes,  Gratuitously  Educated 

and,  in  part,  Clothed  and  Fed, 

Some  Hundreds  of  Poor  Children. 

He  Died  Suddenly 

On  the  First  of  January  1839, 

Aged  72  Years. 


"  Thou  Shalt  be  Blessed  : — For  they  cannot 
Recompense  Thee." 

Over  the  grave  a  monument  was  erected,  the  cost 
of  which  was  defrayed,  as  the  inscription  states,  "  By 
means  of  penny  subscriptions,  not  only  from  the 
Christian    Brotherhood     with    whom     John    Pounds 


JOHN  POUNDS.  1 89 

habitually  worshipped  in  the  adjoining  chapel,  but 
from  persons  of  widely  differing  religious  opinions 
throughout  Great  Britain,  and  from  the  most  distant 
parts  of  the  world."  Another  memento  took  the  form 
of  a  library  for  the  use  of  the  poor  peoj^le  of  the 
neighbourhood  in  wliich  the  philanthropic  shoemaker 
lived  and  laboured.  A  Eagged  School  has  also  been 
built  which  bears  his  name,  and  in  which  the  good 
work  he  inaugurated  in  Plymouth  is  now  carried  on. 
In  1879  the  "John  Pounds  Coffee  Tavern"  was  opened. 
Happy  are  they  who  can  say  with  Lord  Shaftesbury, 
in  the  closing  words  of  his  speech  at  the  opening  of 
this  institution, — 

"  I   AM   A   DISCIPLE   OF   JOHN    PoUNDS." 


I 


^bomas  Cooper, 


"  THE   SELF-EDUCATKD   SHOEMAKER  "   WHO    "  REARED    HIS 
OWN   MONUMENT."  1 


"  I  consuming  fire 
Felt  daily  in  my  veins  to  see  my  race 
Emerge  from  out  the  foul  defiling  mire 
Of  animal  enjoyments  that  debase 
Their  nature,  and  well-nigh  its  lineaments  efface. 

I  burned  to  see  my  species  proudly  count 
Themselves  for  more  than  brutes  ;  and  toiled  to  draw 
Them  on  to  drink  at  Virtue's  living  fount, 
Whence  purest  pleasures  flow 

Canst  thou  blame 
My  course  ?     I  tell  thee,  thirst  for  human  laud 
Impelled  me  not  :  'twas  my  sole-thoughted  aim 
To  render  Man,  my  brother,  worthy  his  high  name  !  " 

— Empedocles,  in  the  "  The  Parrjatory  of  Suicides," 
Stanzas  35-37. 

"  Few  shrewder,  kindlier  men  have  fought  the  battle  of  life." — 
London  Quarterly  Review. 

"  He  is  a  man  of  vast  reading,  and  indomitable  courage.  His  Auto- 
biography is  a  remarkable  book,  well  worth  reading." — Editor  of 
"  Charles  Kingsley's  Life  and  Letters.^' 


^See  closing  sentences  of  preface  to    "Purgatory  of  Suicides,"  by 
Thomas  Cooper,  early  editions. 


I 


(     193     ) 


THOMAS  COOPER. 

JtHE  Lord's  will  be  done  !  I  don't  think  He 
intends  thee  to  spend  thy  life  at  shoe- 
making.  I  have  kept  thee  at  school,  and 
worked  hard  to  get  thee  bread,  and  to  let  thee  have 
thy  own  wish  in  learning,  and  never  imagined  that 
thou  wast  to  be  a  shoemaker.  But  the  Lord's  will  be 
done!  He'll  bring  it  all  right  in  time."  Such  were 
the  words  with  which  the  worthy  and  excellent  mother 
of  Thomas  Cooper  gave  her  consent  to  her  boy's  pro- 
posal that  he  should  go  and  learn  "  the  art,  craft,  and 
mystery  of  shoemaking."  He  had  no  particular  love 
for  the  craft,  but  he  was  anxious  to  do  something  for 
a  livelihood,  and  desirous  of  helping  his  widowed 
mother;  and,  above  all,  he  w\as  ashamed  of  being 
pointed  at  by  his  neighbours  as  "  an  idle  good-for- 
nothing."  That  never  was  true  of  Thomas  Cooper 
either  in  school  or  out,  at  work  or  recreation  ;  and 
now  that  he  had  left  school  and  was  turned  of  fifteen 
years  of  age,  he  could  not  brook  the  insinuation  that 
he  was  unwilling  to  work  ;  so,  good  scholar  as  he 
was,  and  zealous  for  learning,  and  not  without  ambi- 
tion, he  resolved  on  doing  something,  however  humble, 
to  earn  his  bread,  in  order  to  shut  the  mouths  of 
tattling  neighbours.      His  mother  had  tried  to  get  him 

N 


194  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

apprenticed  as  a  painter  or  a  merchant's  clerk,  and 
failed  for  want  of  a  premium ;  and  he  had  made  a 
brief  experiment  at  sailoring  down  at  Hull,  and  had 
come  home  again  utterly  loathing  the  cruelty  and 
abuse  to  which  a  sailor-boy  of  those  days  was  sub- 
jected ;  so  there  was  nothing  for  him  now  but  to  take 
the  first  chance  of  learning  any  trade  that  came  in 
his  way.  He  was  an  only  child,  and  his  mother  had 
been  a  widow  eleven  years,  getting  her  living  as  a 
dyer,  in  which  occupation  she  had  assisted  her  hus- 
band during  his  lifetime.  In  the  pursuit  of  his  trade 
as  a  dyer  he  had  moved  about  from  town  to  town, 
and  had  met  with  his  wife  at  Gainsborough  in  Lin- 
colnshire. Not  long  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cooper  removed  to  Leicester,  and  took  a  house  in 
Soar  Lane,  conveniently  situated  by  the  river  Soar. 
Here  Thomas,  their  only  child,  was  born  on  the  20th 
of  March  1805.  Twelve  months  afterwards  they  went 
to  live  at  Exeter,  where  the  father  died  when  his 
little  boy  was  but  four  years  old.  After  this  his 
mother  at  once  went  back  to  old  Gainsborough,  where 
she  would  be  near  her  relatives.  Here  she  remained 
for  the  rest  of  her  life,  and  here  the  first  twenty-nine 
years  of  Thomas  Cooper's  life  were  spent. 

The  signs  her  boy  had  given  of  mental  powers 
above  the  average  were  quite  enough  to  warrant  ]\Irs. 
Cooper's  pathetic  speech  when  he sought'permission  to 
become  a  shoemaker.  His  memory  was  remarkably 
retentive,  and  dated  from  a  period  which  must  be 
regarded  as  exceptionally  early.  On  the  day  that  he 
was  two  years  old  he  fell  into  a  stream  that  ran  in 
front  of  his  father's  house,  and  was  nearly  drowned. 
He  declares  that  he  distinctly  remembers  being  led  by 


THOMAS  COOPER. 


195 


his  father's  hand  over  St.  Thomas's  Bridge  on  the 
afternoon  of  that  same  day,  and  how  the  neighbours 
"  chucked  him  under  the  chin,  and  said,  How  did  you 
like  it  ?  How  did  you  fall  in  ?  Where  have  you 
been  to?"  Writing  in  1871  he  says,  "The  circum- 
stances are  as  vivid  to  my  mind  as  if  they  only 
occurred  yesterday."  Eeading  came  to  him  almost  by 
instinct,  and  at  three  years  of  age  his  schoolmistress 
set  him  on  a  stool  to  teach  a  boy  more  than  twice  his 
own  age  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  At  the  same 
age  he  could  repeat  several  of  iEsop's  fables.  On  their 
removal  to  Gainsborough  he  was  seized  with  small- 
pox, which  fearful  complaint  marred  his  visage  for  life. 
This  was  followed  by  other  complaints  which  kept 
him  an  invalid  for  a  year.  On  his  recovery  he  had  to 
bear'  the  annoyance,  so  bitterly  painful  to  a  child,  of 
being  either  scouted  or  pitied  for  his  altered  looks. 
But  the  kindness  he  failed  to  find  out  of  doors  was 
more  than  doubled  at  home.  The  heart  of  a  true 
mother  and  a  right  noble  woman  warmed  toward  the 
child  in  his  weakness  and  sad  disfigurement.  Never 
had  needy  child  a  more  devoted  parent.  It  was  liard 
work  for  the  solitary  woman  to  make  a  living  and  pay 
her  way,  yet  she  bore  up  bravely  and  did  the  best  she 
could  for  her  child.  The  picture  which  is  given  by 
Thomas  Cooper  in  his  Autobiography  of  his  home  at 
this  time,  and  of  his  own  and  his  mother's  position, 
has  a  pre-Eaphaelite  simplicity  about  it,  and  well 
deserves  a  moment's  attention.  "  Within  doors  there 
was  no  longer  a  handsome  room,  the  cheerful  look  of 
my  father,  and  his  little  songs  and  stories.  We  had 
now  but  one  chamber  and  one  lower  room,  and  the 
last-named   at  once  parlour,  Idtchen,  and  dye-house : 


196  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

two  large  coppers  were  set  in  one  part  of  it;  and  my 
mother  was  at  work  amidst  steam  and  sweat  all  the 
day  long  for  half  of  the  week,  and  on  the  other  half 
she  was  fully  employed  in  "  framing,"  ironing,  and 
finishing  her  work.  Yet  for  me  slie  had  ever  words 
of  tenderness.  Mj  altered  face  had  not  unendeared 
me  to  her.  In  the  midst  of  her  heavy  toil,  she  could 
listen  to  my  feeble  repetitions  of  the  fables,  or  spare  a 
look,  at  my  entreaty,  for  the  figures  I  was  drawing 
with  chalk  upon  the  hearthstone."  ^  Eeturning  to 
school  again,  he  was,  at  five  years  of  age,  his  teacher's 
favourite  pupil,  for  he  could  "read  the  tenth  chapter 
of  jSTehemiah,  with  all  its  hard  names,  like  the  parson 
in  the  church,  as  she  used  to  say,  and  spell  won- 
drouslv."  AYanderiufT  throuf^h  the  woods  with  his 
mother,  or  going  with  her  on  her  country  business 
rounds  when  the  weather  was  fine ;  poring  over 
Baskerville's  quarto  Bible  with  its  fine  engravings 
from  the  old  masters,  when  compelled  on  wet  Sundays 
to  stop  indoors,  the  sensitive  mind  of  the  eager  child 
received  its  first  impressions  of  the  beautiful  in  nature 
and  art.  When  he  was  eight  years  of  age  his  mother 
succeeded  in  getting  him  admitted  to  a  new  Free 
School,  recently  opened  in  the  towm,  and  little  Tom 
was  placed  upon  the  foundation  as  a  "  Bluecoat " 
scholar.  The  course  of  instruction  at  this  school  was 
neither  varied  nor  profound,  consisting  entirely  of 
Scripture  reading,  writing,  and  the  first  four  rules  of 
arithmetic  ;  but  its  frequent  repetitions  of  spelling  and 
ciphering  lessons  were  good  as  a  beginning,  and  laid  a 

^  "The  Life  of  Thomas  Cooper,   Written  by  Himself."      Hodder 
&  Stoughton,  1S72;  p.  7. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  197 

fair  basis  for  future  learning.  Obliged  to  attend  the 
parish  church  with  the  rest  of  the  "  Bluecoats,"  he 
became  enamoured  with  the  stately  service  of  the 
Church  of  England,  the  superior  singing,  and  the 
grand  old  organ ;  and  great  was  his  delight  when  he 
was  chosen,  on  account  of  his  good  voice  and  musical 
ear,  to  sit  with  six  other  boys  in  the  choir  by  the 
organ  up  in  the  gallery  of  the  church.  During  these 
three  years,  from  the  age  of  eight  to  eleven,  he  began 
to  read  for  pleasure  or  profit  such  books  as  the 
immortal  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  or  Baines's  "  History  of 
the  War,"  "Pamela,"  and  the  "Earl  of  Moreland," 
and  to  revel  in  such  ballads  as  "  Chevy  Chase,"  which 
were  committed  to  memory  and  repeated  when  alone, 
and  served  to  stir  up  in  his  young  heart  the  poetic  or 
the,  warlike  spirit.  But  these  were  years  of  severe 
trial  too,  for  the  great  wars  were  then  raging  on  the 
Continent ;  taxes  pressed  with  terrible  weight  on  all 
classes,  but  especially  on  the  poor ;  and,  added  to  these 
troubles,  were  the  evils  of  bad  harvests  and  winters 
unusually  severe.  It  was  hard  indeed  for  his  mother 
to  make  a  living  in  such  times,  and  to  provide  the 
barest  subsistence  for  herself  and  child.  "  At  one 
time,"  he  says,  "  wheaten  flour  rose  to  six  shillings  per 
stone,  and  we  tried  to  live  on  barley-cakes,  which 
brought  on  a  burning,  gnawing  pain  at  the  stomach. 
For  two  seasons  the  corn  was  spoiled  in  the  fields 
with  wet ;  and  when  the  winter  came,  we  could  scoop 
out  the  middle  of  the  soft  distasteful  loaf,  and  to  eat 
it  brought  on  sickness.  Meat  was  so  dear  that  my 
mother  could  not  buy  it,  and  often  our  dinner  con- 
sisted of  potatoes  only."  In  three  years  the  little 
Bluecoat  boy  had  grown   weary   of  the  monotonous 


198  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

round  of  teaching  at  the  Free  School,  and  got  his 
mother's  consent  to  attend  a  better  class  of  school  for 
boys,  kept  by  a  man  who  was  known  among  his  pupils 
and  the  neighbours  as  "Daddy  Briggs."  Here  there 
was  talk  of  such  abstruse  subjects  as  mensuration  and 
algebra ;  "  Enfield's  Speaker "  was  used  for  reading, 
and  the  scholars  went  deeply  into  the  histories  of 
Greece  and  Eome  and  England,  led  on  by  that  pro- 
found and  original  historian,  Goldsmith  !  However, 
the  school  was  an  immense  advance  on  the  one  just 
left,  and  offered  certain  opportunities  of  intercourse 
with  boys  of  better  position  and  culture  than  Tom  had 
known  before. 

The  boy  must  have  made  good  use  of  his  time  at 
the  Eree  School,  for,  it  seems,  he  went  to  Daddy 
Briggs'  academy  as  much  in  the  character  of  a  teacher 
as  that  of  a  pupil ;  and  he  says  of  this  good-natured 
but  not  very  accomplished  master :  "  He  took  no 
school-fees  of  my  mother,  but  employed  me  as  an 
assistant,  for  about  an  hour  each  day,  in  teaching  the 
younger  children.  He  treated  me  less  as  a  pupil 
than  as  a  companion,  and  I  became  much  attached  to 
him.  Yet  he  was  never  really  a  teacher  to  me.  I 
made  my  way  easily  without  help  through  Walking- 
hame,  part  of  Bonnycastle,  and  got  a  little  way  into 
algebra  before  I  left  school."  By  this  time  he  had 
acquired  an  intense  thirst  for  reading,  and  eagerly 
sought  out  every  book  within  reach.  Now  he  bor- 
rowed the  school-books  of  his  companions  and  read 
them  through,  and  now  he  resorted  to  the  "  cir- 
culating library  "  at  the  shop  of  an  old  lady  who 
supplied  him  with  writing  materials,  and,  as  a  great 
favour,   was  allowed  to  read  such  books  as  were  not 


THOMAS  COOPER.  199 

immediately  required  for  circulation  ;  or,  again,  he 
seized  upon  the  cheap  issues  of  educational  works 
which  were  beginning  to  make  their  appearance  about 
this  time,  and  were  sold  at  the  doors  of  the  good 
Gainsborough  folk  by  that  important  personage  "  the 
number  man."  At  twelve  years  of  age  he  had  thus 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  classic  English  poets, 
had  read  "  Cook's  Voyages,"  the  "  Arabian  Nights," 
the  "  Old  English  Baron,"  besides  "  a  heap  of  other 
romances  and  novels  it  would  require  pages  even  to 
name." 

At  thirteen  years  of  age  the  poetry  of  Byron  made 
a  deep  impression  on  his  mind.  Nothing  in  poetry 
but  "  Chevy  Chase  "  had  ever  moved  his  heart  before. 
Of  "  Childe  Harold  "  and  "  Manfred  "  he  says,  "  They 
seemed  to  create  almost  a  new  sense  within  me." 
Poetry  was  henceforth  a  passion  with  him,  but  few 
subjects  came  amiss :  he  read  everything  he  could  lay 
hold  of. 

About  this  time,  too,  he  showed  tendencies  in  two 
directions,  which  were  strongly  developed  subse- 
quently, and,  in  fact,  formed  the  main  features  of  his 
character  in  after-years.  The  conversation  of  certain 
working-men  politicians  in  a  neighbouring  brush 
manufactory,  and  the  loan  of  "  Hone's  Caricatures  " 
and  "  The  News,"  set  him  off  in  the  direction  of 
politics,  and  made  him,  of  course,  a  disciple  of  liadi- 
calism.  But  the  other  change  in  the  current  of  his 
thoughts,  which  came  a  little  later  on,  was  more  im- 
portant, if  not  more  profound  and  lasting.  Deeply 
emotional  and  imaginative  as  a  child,  having  also  a 
strong  sense  of  moral  right  and  wrong,  he  was  easily 
moved   by  religious  appeals.      A   band  of  Primitive 


200  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Methodists  having  come  to  the  town,  he  was  caught 
up  by  their  enthusiasm  and  zeal,  and  resolved  to  join 
them.  After  much  religious  emotion,  ending  in  no 
very  settled  state  of  mind,  he  left  them  and  united 
with  the  Wesleyan  Methodists,  whose  services  and 
preaching  were  more  to  his  mind.  This  brings  us  up 
to  the  time  of  his  leaving  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
and  his  entrance  on  the  sterner  work  of  life  as  a 
shoemaker.  True,  he  had  not  done  anything  very 
marvellous  at  present,  but  he  had  fine  abilities,  a 
warm  emotional  nature,  a  rare  poetic  taste,  a  thorough 
craving  for  books,  and  no  little  perseverance  and  in- 
dustry. Good  Mrs.  Cooper,  therefore,  showed  some- 
thing more  than  a  mother's  fond  fancy  when  she  said, 
"  The  Lord's  will  be  done  ;  I  don't  think  He  intends 
thee  to  spend  thy  life  at  shoemaking." 

The  society  in  John  Clarke's  garret,  where  young 
Cooper  sat  down  to  learn  his  trade,  was,  like  that  of 
many  similar  places,  rather  literary.  This  man  Clarke, 
true  to  the  reputation  of  the  followers  of  St.  Crispin, 
was  thoughtful  and  fond  of  reading.  The  conversation 
ran  on  the  poetry  of  Shakespeare  and  Byron,  and  the 
acting  of  Kemble  and  Young  and  Mrs.  Siddons — the 
stars  of  that  day  in  the  theatrical  world.  One  of  the 
fruits  of  this  new  poetic  impulse  was  Cooper's  first 
poem,  made  one  spring  morning  in  his  fifteenth  year, 
as  he  walked  in  the  fields  near  Gainsborough.  Quoting 
this  short  piece  in  his  Autobiography,  he  says:  "I  give 
it  here,  be  it  remembered,  as  the  first  literary  feat  of 
a  self-educated  boy  of  fifteen.  I  say  self-educated,  so 
far  as  I  was  educated.  Mine  has  been  almost  entirely 
self-education  all  the  way  through  life."  Great  merit 
or  promise  is  not  claimed  for  these  lines,  yet  they  are 


THOMAS  COOPER.  201 

■^orth  quoting,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  comparing  them 
with  the  first  attempt  of  another  young  shoemaker, 
Bloomfield/ 

A  MORNING  IN  SPRING. 

"See  with  splendour  Phoebus  rise, 
And  with  beaiity  tinge  tlie  skies. 
See  the  clouds  of  darkness  fly 
Far  beyond  the  western  sky  ; 
While  the  lark  upsoaring  sings, 
/         And  the  air  with  music  rings  ; 

While  the  blackbird,  linnet,  thrush, 
Perched  on  yonder  thorny  bush, 
All  unite  in  tuneful  choir, 
And  raise  the  happy  music  higher. 
Wiiile  the  murmuring  bu.^y  bee, 
Pattern  of  wakeful  industry, 
Flies  from  flower  to  flower  to  drain 
The  choiceet  juice  from  sweetest  vein  ; 
While  the  lowly  cottage  youth. 
His  mind  well  stored  with  sacred  truth, 
Rises,  devout,  his  thanks  to  pay, 
And  hails  the  welcome  dawn  of  day. 

Oh,  that  'twere  mine,  the  happy  lot, 
To  dwell  within  the  peaceful  cot — 
There  rise,  each  morn,  my  thanks  to  pay. 
And  hail  the  welcome  dawn  of  day  ! " 

Cooper  stayed  with  Clarke  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
and,  after  a  brief  interval,  went  to  work  with  a  "  first- 
rate  hand,"  who  was  known  in  the  shoemaking  frater- 
nity as  Don  Cundell.  Here  the  youth,  more  expert 
at  his  craft  than  many  of  his  companions,  learnt 
Lefore  the  age  of  nineteen  to  make  "  a  really  good 

*  See  above,  p.  106. 


202  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

woman's  shoe."  ^  During  this  period  he  seems  to  have 
settled  in  good  earnest  alike  to  his  daily  occupation 
and  the  work  of  self-culture.  Under  the  guidance  of 
a  friend  named  Macdonald,  who  lent  him  books,  he 
read  such  works  as  Eobertsou's  "Histories  of  Scotland," 
"  America,"  and  "  Charles  the  Fifth,"  Neale's  "  History 
of  the  Puritans,"  and  a  little  theology.  Like  multi- 
tudes of  youths  in  a  position  similar  to  his,  Thomas 
Cooper  derived  much  benefit  from  a  Mutual  Improve- 
ment Society  which  was  started  in  Gainsborough  about 
this  time  by  a  friend  of  his,  a  draper's  assistant  named 
Joseph  Foulkes  Winks.  In  this  society  papers  were 
read  and  discussions  held  on  all  imaginable  subjects, 
literary,  historical,  and  religious.  "  This  weekly  essay- 
writing,"  he  says,  "  was  an  employment  which  absorbed 
a  good  deal  of  my  thought,  and  was  a  good  induction 
into  the  writing  of  prose,  and  into  a  mode  of  expressing 
one's  thoughts."  On  one  occasion  a  prize  was  offered 
for  the  best  essay  on  "  The  Worst  King  of  England." 
The  tug  of  war  lay  between  Winks,  who  chose  as  his 
subject  James  II.,  and  Cooper,  who  eventually  was 
adjudged  the  victor,  and  had  taken  William  the  Con- 
queror as  his  ideal  of  a  bad  king.  The  friendship 
thus  commenced  in  amicable  rivalry  lasted,  as  we 
shaU  see,  through  Hf  e.  Not  content  with  self-improve- 
ment, these  youths,  with  Macdonald  and  Wood,  banded 
themselves  together  in  a  resolve  to  instruct  others 
less  favoured  than  themselves,  and  an  "  Adult  School" 
was   formed.      This  was  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the 

1  This  seems  to  be  a  test  of  proficiency  in  the  trade.  Bloomfield's 
brother  says,  "  Robert  is  a  ladies'  shoemaker  ; "  and  stories  are  told  of 
his  receiving,  after  he  became  famous  as  a  poet,  many  orders  from  the 
nobility  for  ladies'  boots. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  203 

first  school  of  the  kind  in  Lincolnshire,  and  must 
have  proved  of  great  benefit  to  the  illiterate  poor  of 
the  town,  for  by  the  end  of  the  following  year,  when 
this  branch  was  admitted  into  "  The  Adult  Schools 
Society,"  the  numbers  on  the  books  were  324. 
Friendships  with  two  other  young  men  brought  such 
books  in  his  way  as  Sibley's  famous  illustrated  work 
on  astrology,  over  which  he  wasted  much  valuable 
time,  Volney's  "  Euins  of  Empires"  and  Voltaire's 
"  Philosophical  Dictionary,"  over  which  his  time  was 
worse  than  w^asted.  But  the  best  piece  of  good  for- 
tune in  the  way  of  reading  came  to  him  in  the  dis- 
covery that  one  "  Nathaniel  Eobinson,  mercer,"  "  had 
left  his  library  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town."  It  seems  that  this  boon  had  been  neglected 
or  forgotten  by  the  good  folk  of  Gainsborough.  Once 
known  to  the  ardent  young  shoemaker,  it  was  not 
neglected  nor  forgotten,  at  all  events  as  far  as  he  was 
concerned.  He  pounced  upon  it  with  the  avidity  and 
excited  joy  of  a  naturalist  who  lights  upon  a  new  or 
rare  specimen.  We  must  let  him  speak  for  himself 
in  the  matter,  and  describe  this  precious  "  find "  in 
his  own  words.  He  says :  "  I  was  in  ecstasies  to  find 
the  dusty,  cobwebbed  shelves  loaded  with  Hooker, 
and  Bacon,  and  Cudworth,  and  Stillingfleet,  and  Locke, 
and  Jeremy  Taylor,  and  Tillotson,  and  Bates,  and 
Bishop  Hall,  and  Samuel  Clarke,  and  Warburton,  and 
Bull,  and  Waterland,  and  Bentley,  and  Bayle,  and 
Eay,  and  Derham,  and  a  score  of  other  philosophers 
and  divines,  mingled  with  Stanley's  '  History  of 
Philosophers,'  and  its  large  full  -  length  portraits ; 
Ogilvy's  *  Embassies  to  Japan  and  China,'  with  their 
large   curious   engravings ;   Speed's  and  Papin's   folio 


204  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Histories  of  England,  Collier's  '  Church  History,'  Ful- 
ler's '  Holy  War,'  Foxe's  '  Book  of  Martyrs,'  the  first 
edition,  in  black  letter,  with  its  odd  rude  plates,  and 
countless  other  curiosities  and  valuables." 

Cooper  now  settled  to  reading  in  desperate  earnest, 

and  with  something  like  a  fixed  purpose  to  become  a 

scholar,  and  perhaps  a  writer,  or  a  great  political  or 

religious  orator,  or,  more  probable  than  all  things  else 

— for  the  poetic  fervour  was  very  strong  just  now— a 

2Joet  !     Yet  he  had  no  very  definite  notions  of  what  he 

was  to  be.     All  he  was  certain  about  was  that  he  must 

and  would  study,  and  fit  himself  for  some  higher  walk 

in  life  when  the  time  came  to  enter  on  it.      Let  the 

reader  keep  this  fact  in  mind  while  reading  the  story 

we  have   to  tell  of  close  application  to  study,  lofty 

aspirations,  and  great  attainments  as  a  scholar.    Thomas 

Cooper  during  his  shoemaker's  life,  in  ivhich  he  laid  the 

foundation  of  rare  scholarshij),  never  earned  more  than 

ten  shillings  a  week — scarcely  enough  to  buy  food  and 

clothes.       He    had   not    become    an    apprentice,    and 

therefore   the  laws   of  the   trade  prevented  the  best 

masters  employing  him.      One  "  Widow  Hoyle,   who 

sold  her  goods  in  the  market  cheap,"   was  his  only 

employer,  so  long  as  he  remained  at  the  trade.      If 

he  was  not,  in   these  days   of   lowly  toil  and   lofty 

thoughts, 

"  Checked  by  the  scoff  of  Pride,  by  Envy's  frown," 
he  well  knew  what  it  was  to  feel  the  restraint  of 
"  Poverty's  unconrjuerable  bar." 

Yet  he  had  courage,  an  indispensable  quality  in  a 
youth     so     situated,    and    it    was    the    courage  that 


THOMAS  COOPER.  205 

"  mounteth  with  the  occasion,"  and  all  these  bars  to  self- 
culture  only  acted  as  a  stimulus  to  more  resolute  toil. 
Strange  to  say,  one  of  his  greatest  incentives  to  study 
at  this  time  was  an  account  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Lee,  professor  of  Hebrew  in  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, which  the  young   student    had  read    in    the 
"  Imperial  Magazine,"  then  edited  by  another  of  our 
illustrious  shoemakers,  Samuel  Drew.     Lee  had  been 
a  carpenter,  ignorant  of  English  grammar,  had  bought 
Euddiman's  Latin   Eudiments,  and    having  mastered 
the  book,  had  learned  to  read  Caesar  and  Virgil,  and  had 
taught  himself  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Syriac  by  the  time 
he  was  six-and-twenty   years   of  age !       Cooper   said 
within  himself,    "  If    one  man  can  teach    himself    a 
lan^uaLre,  another  can."      So  he  went  to  work,  follow- 
ing'in  Lee's  steps  so  far  as  to  take  Euddiman's  book, 
and   commit    "  the   entire  volume  to  memory — notes 
and  all ! "     Then  came  the  study  of  Hebrew  with  the 
help  of  Lyon's  small  grammar,  bought  for  a  shilling  at 
an  old  bookstall ;  and  a  year   after  he  was  busy  at 
Greeh,  and   created   for  himself  a  jDleasing  diversion 
by  the  comparatively  easy  task  of  mastering  French. 
All  this  time  his   general   reading  was  not  neglected. 
By  the  advice   of  a  valued  friend,  John  Hough,  he 
fortified  his  mind  against  the  sceptical  thoughts  which 
previous   reading   had   awakened  by   going    carefully 
through    the  chief    works    on    Christian     evidences. 
Few  divinity  students  at  the  end  of  their  course  have 
read  more  carefully  or  extensively  than  this  occupant 
of  a  cobbler's   stall  had  done  by   the   time    he  was 
twenty-three  years    old.       Paley's    "Horae  Paulinas," 
"Natural  Theology,"  and  "Evidences,"  Bishop  Watson's 
"Apologies,"    Soame    Jenyns'    "Internal    Evidences," 


2o6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Lord  Lytteltou's  "  Conversion  of  St.  Paul,"  Sherlock's 
"  Trial  of  the  Witnesses,"  besides  profoimder  works 
like  Butler's  "Analogy,"  Bentley's  "Folly  of  Atheism," 
Dr.  Samuel  Clarke's  "  Being  and  Attributes  of  God," 
Stillingfleet's  "  Origines  Sacrae,"  and  Warburton's 
"  Divine  Legation  of  Moses,"  were  as  familiar  to  him 
as  the  "  Paradise  Lost "  and  most  of  the  plays  of  Shake- 
speare were  to  his  companion  Thomas  Miller.^  The 
labours  of  this  period,  from  1824  to  1828,  were  tre- 
mendous, or,  as  one  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  characters 
was  wont  to  say,  "  prodigious."  Cooper  had  left  Don 
Cundell's,  and  now  worked  at  home,  so  that  he  could 
arrange  his  time  for  study  and  work  as  he  pleased. 
Like  Drew,  he  had  learned  to  do  a  fair  day's  work  and 
not  to  neglect  the  means  of  earning  his  daily  bread 
for  the  more  fascinating  occupations  of  reading  and 
study.  But  if  ordinary  work  was  not  neglected,  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  work  of  the  scholar  was 
overdone.  No  one  can  live  as  Cooper  lived  from  the 
age  of  nineteen  to  twenty-three  without  incurring 
fearful  risk  to  body  and  mind.  Ptising  at  three,  or 
four  at  the  latest,  he  read  history,  or  the  grammar  of 
some  language,  or  engaged  in  translation  till  seven, 
when  he  sat  down  to  his  stall.  At  meal-times  he 
attempted  the  double  task  of  taking  in  food  for  the 
body  and  the  mind  at  the  same  time,  cutting  up  his 
food  and  eating  it  with  a  spoon  that  he  might  not 
have  occasion  to  take  his  eyes  off  the  book  he  held 
in  his  hand ;  at  work  till  eight  or  nine,  he  was  all 
the  while  committing  to  memory  and  reciting  aloud 

1  Thomas  Miller,  afterwards  known  as  a  poet  and  novelist,  and  for 
his  charming  descriptions  of  rural  scenery,  was  an  intimate  friend  of 
Cooper  from  childhood  to  old  age. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  207 

passages  from  the  poets,  or  declensions  find  conjuga- 
tions,  or  rules  of  syntax ;  and    when    he   rose  from 
liis  stool,   it  was    only  to  pace  the  room,  while  he 
still  went  on  with  his  studies,  until  at  last  he  dropped 
into  bed  utterly  exhausted.       This  was  his   method 
in   spring  and  summer,  hut  even  in  winter  his  hours 
were  just  as   long,  and  study  in  the  early  morning 
was  not  accompanied  by  the  invigorating  influence  of 
walking  exercise  and  fresh  air ;  for  he  says,  "  When 
in  the    coldness   of    winter  we  could   not   afford    to 
have  a   fire    till   my   mother   rose,  I  used   to   put  a 
lamp  on  a  stool,  which  I  placed  on  a  little  round  table, 
and  standing  before  it  wrapped  up  in  my  mother's  old 
red  clock,  I  read  on  till  seven,  or  studied  a  grammar 
or  my  Euclid,  and  frequently  kept  my  feet  moving 
to  secure    warmth    or    prevent    myself    from    falling 
asleep."^      In  this    way  Latin   was   so   far  mastered 
that  Csesar's  "  De  Bello  Gallico  "  could  be  read  "  page 
after  page  with  scarcely  more  tlian  a  glance  at  the 
dictionary,"  and  the  "Eneid"of  Virgil  became  an  intel- 
lectual love  that  lasted  for  life.      We  have  no  space  to 
describe  the  vast  amount  of  historical  and  miscellaneous 
reading  done  at  this  time.     It  was  surely  no  small  feat 
for  a  shoemaker,  working   hard   for  twelve  or  thirteen 
hours  in  the   day,  to  go  in  a  few  years  through  Gib- 
bon's "  Decline  and  Fall,"   Sale's  "  Preliminary   Dis- 
course to  his   Translation  of  the   Koran,"  Mosheim's 
"  Church   History,"    all  the    principal  English   poets 
from  Shakespeare  to  Scott  and   Keats  ;    to  read   the 
"  Curiosities  of  Literature,"  "  Calamities  "  and  "  Quar- 
rels of  Authors,"  Wharton's  "  History  of  Poetry  "  and 
Johnson's  "  Lives   of  the  Poets,"    Boswell's  "  Life  of 

1  '■  Life  of  Thomas  Cooper,"  pp.  60,  61. 


2o8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Johnson "  and  Lander's  "  Imaginary  Conversations," 
Southey's  "  Book  of  the  Church,"  and  Lingard's 
"  Anglo-Saxon  Antiquities,"  besides  a  host  of  books  of 
travel,  and  quarterly  and  monthly  magazines  innu- 
merable. 

We  have  said  that  Cooper  overdid  the  work  of 
study.  Like  Kirke- White,  he  was  so  completely 
absorbed  with  the  passion  for  learning,  that  he  set  all 
the  laws  of  health  at  defiance,  and  had  to  pay  the 
penalty.  Having  a  stronger  constitution  than  the 
Nottingham  youth,  Cooper  managed  to  escape  with  his 
life,  and,  after  a  period  of  bodily  and  mental  prostra- 
tion, with  all  his  old  vigour  restored  to  him ;  but  it 
was  a  narrow  escape.  These  excessive  labours,  coupled 
with  the  effects  of  scanty  fare,  brought  him  to  a  state 
of  extreme  weakness.  He  says,  "  I  not  unfrequently 
swooned  away  and  fell  all  along  the  floor  when  I 
tried  to  take  my  cup  of  oatmeal  gruel  at  the  end  of 
my  day's  labour.  Next  morning,  of  course,  I  was  not 
able  to  rise  at  an  early  hour ;  and  then  very  likely  the 
next  day's  study  had  to  be  stinted.  I  needed  better 
food  than  we  could  afford  to  buy,  and  often  had  to 
contend  with  the  sense  of  faintness,  while  I  still 
plodded  on  with  my  double  task  of  mind  and  body."  ^ 
At  length,  after  many  premonitory  symptoms,  came  a 
crisis.  One  night  he  had  to  be  carried  to  bed  in  a 
dead  faint,  and  for  nine  weeks  he  left  his  bed  but  for 
a  short  time  each  day.  The  greatest  fears  were  felt 
for  his  safety ;  the  doctor  had  little  hope,  and  once  he 
was  so  prostrate,  that  a  friend  who  was  called  in 
sadly  told  his  mother  that  the  pulse  had  ceased  to 
beat,  and  he  was  dead  !     This  was  at  the  end  of  1827; 

^  "Life  of  Thomas  Cooper,"  p.  67. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  209 

by  the  spring  of  the  following  year  he  had  recovered 
sufficiently  to  begin  to  think  of  going  to  work  again. 
A  brief  spell  at  his  old  occupation  was  enough  to 
satisfy  him  that  it  would  not  suit  him  in  his  altered 
state  of  health ;  and,  after  a  short  rest  and  more 
complete  recovery,  he  took  the  welcome  advice  of  two 
friends  and  agreed  to  oj)C7i  a  school.  He  had  now 
done  for  ever  with  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  after 
giving  to  it  eight  years  of  the  best  part  of  his  early 
life.  These  he  confesses  to  have  been,  on  the  whole, 
most  happy  years,  and  of  the  last  four  he  says  with 
enthusiasm,  "What  glorious  years  were  those  years 
of  self-denial  and  earnest  mental  toil,  from  the  age  of 
nearly  nineteen  to  nearly  three-and-twenty,  that  I  sat 
and  worked  in  that  corner  of  my  poor  mother's  lowly 
home-! "  He  had  certainly  made  wondrous  progress 
as  a  self-taught  scholar,  and  now  he  was  prepared  to 
enter  the  world  and  make  his  own  way  in  it,  with 
such  a  stock  of  learning  and  culture  as  few  young 
men  in  England,  in  his  position,  could  boast  of.  We 
scarcely  dare  venture  to  estimate  his  acquirements  at 
this  time.  The  reader  can  easily  judge  from  our 
account  of  his  studies  how  considerable  they  must  have 
been.  In  English  literature,  from  Spenser  and  Shake- 
speare to  the  essayists  and  poets,  such  as  De  Quincey, 
Hazlitt,  and  Charles  Lamb,  or  Byron,  Campbell,  and 
Moore,  he  was  w^ell  versed.  He  had  read  extensively 
in  history,  philosophy,  theology,  and  Christian  evi- 
dences. As  to  mathematics,  he  had  gone  pretty  deeply 
into  algebra  and  geometry ;  and  in  the  languages, 
besides  his  "  easy  "  French,  he  had  done  something  in 
Hebrew,  could  read  his  Greek  Testament,  and  found 
delight  in  the  Latin  authors,  such  as  Ciesar,  Yirgil, 

o 


210  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Tacitus,  and  Lactantius.  This  is  no  mean  storj  to 
tell  of  the  accomplishments  of  a  self-taught  shoemaker, 
who  has  never  earned  more  than  ten  shillings  per 
week. 

School-teaching  was  a  congenial  employment  for 
one  so  fond  of  study  and  so  apt  to  teach  as  Thomas 
Cooper.  He  threw  his  whole  soul  into  the  work,  and 
succeeded  in  establishing  a  first-rate  school  of  its  class  ; 
and  that  class  of  school  was  certainly  a  vast  improve- 
ment on  the  Free  School  of  his  own  early  days. 
Everybody  in  Gainsborough  knew  the  studious  shoe- 
maker who  had  learnt  four  languages  at  the  cobbler's 
stall,  read  as  much,  or  more,  than  any  one  in  the  town 
of  his  own  age,  had  a  marvellous  memory,  and  could 
repeat  the  whole  of  "  Hamlet "  and  the  first  four  books 
of  the  "  Paradise  Lost ! "  Besides  all  this,  he  was 
known  and  esteemed  for  a  steady  young  man,  who, 
though  he  might  incur  a  little  suspicion  among  the 
strictly  religious  folk  by  his  neglect  of  public  worship, 
was  guilty  of  no  waste  of  time  or  money  in  vicious 
company  and  riotous  living.  And  so  pupils  flocked 
in ;  a  hundred  names  were  entered  on  his  books  by 
the  end  of  the  first  year,  and  the  school  prospered  to 
his  heart's  content.  Nor  was  the  confidence  of  parents 
misplaced ;  never,  surely,  did  a  teacher  give  himself 
more  completely  to  his  work.  He  gave  even  more 
than  was  bargained  for,  drilling  all  the  boys  in  Latin 
grammar,  and  carrying  them  on  as  far  as  possible  in 
the  higher  branches  of  arithmetic.  Five  years  were 
thus  spent  most  usefully  and  happily  at  Gainsborough, 
after  which  he  removed  from  the  old  town  and  settled 
in  the  cathedral  city  of  Lincoln. 

But  before    quitting  Gainsborough  a  vital  change 


THOMAS  COOPER.  211 

had  taken  place  in  his  thoughts  and  mode  of  life. 
Brought  face  to  face  with  death  in  his  recent  illness, 
the  most  serious  thoughts  had  been  aroused  within 
his  mind,  and  on  his  recovery  he  was  not  the  man  to 
abandon  or  drown  such  thoughts  because  the  imme- 
diate fear  of  death  had  passed  away.  The  earnest 
conversations  he  held  with  the  young  curate  of  the 
parish,  "  the  pious  and  laborious  Charles  Hensley," 
and  his  two  former  friends,  Hough  and  Kelvey, 
strength-ened  his  resolve  to  seek  for  peace  of  mind  in 
the  belief  of  gospel  truth  and  entire  devotion  to  a 
religious  life.  In  January  1829  he  joined  the 
Methodist  Society.  The  perusal  of  Sigston's  "  Life  of 
William  Bramwell "  fired  his  soul  with  a  passion  for 
holiness,  and  such  was  his  intensity  of  religious  fervour 
for  a  time,  that  he  is  constrained  to  say  in  his  Auto- 
biography :  "  If  throughout  eternity  in  heaven  I  be 
as  happy  as  I  often  was  for  whole  days  during  that 
short  period  of  my  religious  life,  it  will  be  heaven 
indeed.  Often  for  several  days  together  I  felt  close 
to  the  Almighty — felt  I  was  His  own  and  His  entirely. 
I  felt  no  wandering  of  the  will  and  inclination  to 
yield  to  sin;  and  when  temptation  came,  my  whole 
soul  wrestled  for  victory  till  the  temptation  fled." 
Entered  on  the  local  preachers'  plan,  he  turned  his 
rare  gifts  to  good  account  in  ministering  to  the  con- 
gregations which  formed  the  Gainsborough  "  circuit," 
and  developed  that  faculty  of  eloquent  speech  which 
in  later  years  has  delighted  the  thousands  who  gathered 
to  hear  his  political  orations  as  an  advocate  of  the 
"  People's  Charter "  or  his  grand  lectures  on  the 
evidences  of  the  Christian  religion.  Driven  away 
from  his  old  home  by  unhappy  disturbances  in  the 


212  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Wesleyan  Society,  he  went,  as  we  have  said,  in 
JSTovember  1833,  to  live  at  Lincoln,  where  once  more 
he  occupied  himself  as  a  schoolmaster. 

Just  before  leaving  Gainsborough  he  was  constrained 
to  gather  a  few  pieces  of  his  poetry  together  and  pub- 
lish them  by  subscription  in  a  small  volume,  with  the 
title,  taken  from  the  first  piece,  "  The  Wesleyan  Chiefs." 
The  book  fell  flat  on  the  market,  and  seems  to  have 
had  very  little  merit.  Its  publication  was  chiefly 
remarkable  for  bringing  the  author  into  the  company 
of  James  Montgomery,  who  kindly  undertook  to  read 
the  proof  sheets.  Only  one  of  these  selections  seems 
to  have  called  forth  a  word  of  commendation  from  the 
veteran  poet.  Against  the  lines  addressed  to  "  Lincoln 
Cathedral"  he  wrote :  "  These  are  very  noble  lines, 
and  the  versification  is  truly  worthy  of  them."^  Mont- 
gomery was  then  over  sixty  years  of  age,  and  had 
published  all  the  poems  by  which  his  name  is  known 
to  fame. 

Soon  after  going  to  reside  in  Lincoln,  Cooper  mar- 
ried Miss  Jobson,  sister  of  Frederic  James  Jobson, 
afterwards  well  known  as  Dr.  Jobson  among  the 
Wesleyan  Methodists,  and  at  one  time  their  honoured 
President  of  the  Conference.  The  religious  troubles 
at  Gainsborough  followed  the  local  preacher  to  Lincoln, 
for  the  superintendent  with  whom  he  had  disagreed 
at  the  former  place  would  not  suffer  him  to  rest  in 
his  new  home ;  and  at  length,  soured  and  wearied  by 
what  he  could  not  but  deem  ill-usage,  he  threw  up 
his  appointment  on  the  plan,  and  finally  cut  himself 
off  from  the  Methodist  Connexion.     Free  to  devote  his 

1  These  lines  stand  first  among  the  minor  pieces  in  "  Cooper's  Poetical 
Works."     London  :  Hodder  &  Stoughton,  1S77. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  213 

energies  to  other  pursuits,  he  now  flung  himself  very 
zealously  into  the  new  Mechanics'  Institute  movement, 
took  a  class  in  Latin,  sought  to  perfect  himself   in 
French  pronunciation,  and  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
Italian  under  the  tutorship  of  Signor  D'Albrione,  "  a 
very   noble-looking    Italian    gentleman,    a    native    of 
Turin,  who  had  been  a  cavalry  officer  in  the  armies  of 
Napoleon,  had  endured  the  retreat  from  Moscow,  was 
at   the  defeat  of  Leipzig,"  &c.,  and  had  become   "  a 
refugee  in  England  on  account  of  his  participation  in 
the  conspiracy  of  the  Carbonari."      German,  also,  was 
studied  for  a  time;  but  very  soon  a  new  attraction 
arose  in  the  formation  of  a  Choral  Society,  of  which 
the   zealous  schoolmaster   became  the   secretary   and 
chief  manager,  collecting  its  funds,   enlisting  by  his 
persuasive  powers   the   best  singers  in  the  city,  and 
arranging  for  its  meetings  and  public  performances. 
His  attendance  at  the  lectures  of  the  Institute  inciden- 
tally led  to  a  new  employment,  in  which  undoubtedly 
Thomas  Cooper  might  have  excelled   and  gained  no 
mean  emolument  and  renown  had  he  chosen  to  devote 
himself  exclusively  to  it.      Having  sent  a  paragraph 
report   of  one  of    the  lectures    on  chemistry   to  the 
Lincoln,  Rutland,  and  Stamford  Mercury,  he  was  waited 
upon  by  the  editor,  Eichard  Newcomb,  and  requested 
to  supply  intelligence  weekly  of  any  affairs  of  import- 
ance in  the  city,  and  promised  ^20   a  year  for  his 
trouble.     This  was  in  1834.     In  two  years  he  gave 
up  his  connection  with  the  Choral  Society,  cultivated 
the    newspaper    correspondent    business    to    such    an 
extent  that  he  was  advanced  to  ^  1 00  per  year,  and  so 
gave  up  his  school     Having  put  his  hand  to  the  work 
of   newspaper  correspondence,  he   did   not   do   it  by 


214  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

halves.  He  exposed  the  abuses,  as  he  deemed  them, 
then  rife  in  the  city,  wrote  sketches  of  the  "  Lincohi 
Preachers,"  and  created  such  a  stir  by  his  lively  and 
racy  articles  on  municipal  and  political  matters,  that 
the  paper  rapidly  rose  in  circulation,  and  he  found 
himself  for  a  time  the  most  notorious  man  in  the 
city,  feared  by  many,  hated  by  not  a  few,  and  courted 
by  those  who  had  favours  to  win  or  help  to  secure 
from  the  lively  correspondent. 

In  1838,  at  the  urgent  request  of  Mr.  Newcomb, 
he  removed  to  Stamford,  under  a  verbal  promise  that 
when  the  editor  retired,  which  he  intimated  would  be 
very  soon.  Cooper  should  have  the  sole  management. 
After  remaining  for  a  few  months  in  the  position  of 
clerk  to  Mr.  Newcomb,  and  finding  to  his  chagrin  that 
the  old  editor  gave  no  sign  of  keeping  to  his  agree- 
ment, he  very  rashly  threw  down  his  pen  and  gave 
notice  to  leave.  A  little  patience  might  have  sufficed 
to  gain  his  end,  but  his  mortification  was  extreme,  and 
so  a  good  situation,  worth,  in  all,  ^300  a  year,  was 
sacrificed.  "On  the  ist  of  June  1839,"  he  writes, 
"  we  got  on  the  stage-coach,  with  our  boxes  of  books, 
at  Stamford,  and  away  I  went  to  make  my  first  venture 
in  London." 

The  six  years  spent  at  Lincoln  had  been  a  time  of 
literary  activity  in  more  ways  than  that  of  newspaper 
correspondence.  Many  minor  pieces,  such  as  are 
found  at  the  end  of  the  collected  poems,  were 
written,  and  the  title  and  plan  of  his  best  poetical 
work,  "  The  Purgatory  of  Suicides,"  was  decided 
upon.  But  he  had  done  more  in  the  way  of  prose. 
The  first  volume  of  a  historical  romance  was  finished 
ere   he   left   Lincoln,  and  now  that  he  had  come  to 


THOMAS  COOPER.  215 

London,  he  hoped  to  make  his  way  with  this  as  an 
introduction  to  the  publishers  and  the  reading  world. 
But  he  very  soon  discovered,  as  thousands  besides 
have  done,  that  he  had  little  to  hope  from  patrons, 
even  though,  like  Sir  Edward  Lytton  Bulwer,  they 
might  be  men  to  whom  he  had  rendered  some  politi- 
cal service  in  days  gone  by,  and  that  his  unlucky 
manuscript  was  a  poor  broken  reed  to  lean  upon. 
After  nine  months'  bitter  experience  of  fruitless  at- 
tempts-4;o  find  employment,  and  when  all  his  stock  of 
five  hundred  books,  the  dear  companions  of  the  last 
ten  years  of  earnest  study,  had  been  sold,  and  even 
his  father's  old  silver  watch  and  articles  of  clothing 
had  been  carried  to  the  pawnshop,  he  was  fortunate 
enough  to  make  an  engagement,  at  £2  psr  week,  as 
edit-or  of  the  Kentish  Mercury,  Gravesend  Journal,  and 
Greenwich  Gazette,  of  which  Mr.  William  Dougal 
Christie  was  the  proprietor.  He  had  held  this  office 
but  a  short  time  when  disagreement  as  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  paper  led  him  to  give  notice  of 
retirement  from  his  awkward  position.  Strangely 
enough,  at  this  very  juncture  a  letter  reached  him 
from  a  friend  in  Lincoln  enclosing  another  from  the 
manager  of  a  paper  in  Leicester,  asking  to  be  in- 
formed of  "  the  whereabouts  of  Thomas  Cooper,  who 
wrote  the  articles  entitled  '  Lincoln  Preachers '  in 
the  Stamford  Mercury."  Dropping  the  letter,  he 
exclaimed  to  his  wife,  "  The  message  has  come  at 
last — the  message  of  Destiny  !  We  are  going  to 
live  at  Leicester,"  thus  expressing  a  thought  he  had 
secretly  cherished  for  years,  "  that  he  had  something 
to  do  of  a  stirring  and  important  nature  at  Leicester." 
And  so  it   proved,  but  that  "  something  "  was  very 


2i6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

different  from  what  he  had  ever  anticipated.  An- 
swering the  inquiry  in  person,  he  agreed  with  the 
manager  of  the  Leicestershire  Mcreury  to  accept  a 
reporter's  place  at  a  small  remuneration,  and  in 
November  1840  he  went  to  reside  in  his  native 
town  and  prepare  himself  for  his  "  destiny."  In 
London  he  had  met  with  his  old  friend  Thomas 
Miller,  who  was  then  writing  "  Lady  Jane  Grey  ; " 
and  here  at  Leicester  he  discovered  another  Gains- 
borough youth,  Joseph  Winks,  who  had  been  his  com- 
panion and  rival  in  the  Improvement  Society,  and 
was  now  "  a  printer  and  bookseller,  a  busy  politician, 
Baptist  preacher,  and  editor  of  three  or  four  small 
religious  periodicals."  ^ 

Sent  one  night  by  the  manager  of  the  Mercury  to 
attend  and  report  a  Chartist  lecture,  he  was  intro- 
duced for  the  first  time  to  those  poor  but  desperately 
earnest  politicians  who  were  at  that  time  making 
their  pathetic  and  passionate  voices  heard  throughout 
the  Midland  and  Northern  Counties.  From  that 
night  Thomas  Cooper  was  a  Chartist ;  and  for  the 
next  three  years  his  best  powers  were  devoted  to  the 
cause  of  the  suffering  operatives  and  his  life-interests 
bound  up  in  the  Chartist  movement.  Nothing  could 
be  more  pitiable  than  the  condition  of  the  Leicester 
"  stockingers  "  at  this  time.  The  average  weekly 
wages  of  a  man  who  worked  hard  were  four-and- 
sixpence  !  Ground  down  to  the  point  of  starvation 
by  "  frame-rent,"  payment  for  "  standing,"  for  "  giving- 

^  The  CMldren's  Magazine  (next  to  the  Teacher's  Offering  the  first 
magazine  for  children  published  in  this  country),  the  Christian  Pioneer, 
the  Child's  Magazine.  He  was  also  editor  of  the  Baptist  Reporter  for 
many  years. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  217 

out,"  and  for  the  "  seamer,"  and,  worst  of  all,  obliged 
to  pay  the  full  week's  rent  when  working  on  half- 
time,  it  is  no  wonder  that  his  spirit  was  galled  to 
madness,  and  that  he  looked  to  something  like  a  poli- 
tical revolution  for  a  redress  of  his  wrongs.  Lord 
Byron,  in  the  only  speech  he  ever  delivered  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  had  spoken  eloquently  and  generously 
in  behalf  of  these  suffering  operatives  of  the  Midland 
Counties. 

On©-  cannot  wonder  that  a  man  like  Cooper,  who 
had  known  the  pinchings  of  poverty,  should  have  felt 
his  soul  stirred  within  him.  His  sympathies  and  views 
soon  drew  him  into  writing  and  speaking  for  the 
Chartists.  This  was  an  offence  in  the  eyes  of  his 
employers  of  the  Mercury,  and  led  to  his  severance 
from  them.  He  now,  at  the  request  of  the  factory 
hands  of  Leicester,  became  their  political  leader,  and 
the  editor  of  their  paper,  the  Midland  Counties  Illu- 
minator, which  fell  into  his  own  hands  after  a  few 
weeks,  and  was  changed  in  style  and  title,  and  made 
a  new  appearance  as  the  Chartist  Euslilight,  and  after- 
wards as  the  Extinguisher.  In  the  midst  of  the 
dispute  between  Whigs  and  Tories,  Cooper  was 
"  nominated  "  by  the  Chartists  as  their  candidate,  not 
with  any  hope  of  being  carried  at  the  poll,  but  rather 
as  a  means  of  spiting  the  Whigs,  against  whom  the 
working-men  were  intensely  bitter,  on  account  of  their 
unwillingness  to  support  "  The  People's  Charter." 
Endeavouring  to  turn  his  leadership  of  the  Chartists 
to  some  account  apart  from  politics,  he  added  to  the 
task  of  regular  addresses  in  the  open  air  the  conduct 
of  a  Sunday  adult  school  and  Sunday-evening  meetings; 
and,  when  the  winter  came   on,  ijathered  his   friends 


2i8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

together,  and  sought  to  lift  their  thoughts  above  their 
daily  care,  and  awaken  in  their  minds  a  desire  for 
reading,  by  a  course  of  lectures  on  literature  and 
science.  But  the  bad  times  of  1842  put  a  stop  to 
all  this.  Tiie  condition  of  the  stockingers  grew  worse 
and  worse,  and  Cooper  took  to  supplying  bread  on 
sale  or  loan,  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  poor  starving 
creatures,  and  ran  into  debt  by  so  doing.  The  poor- 
house,  or  Bastile,  as  the  working-men  always  called 
it,  was  crowded  to  excess,  and  riots  broke  out  now 
and  again ;  but  with  these  neither  Cooper  nor  the 
Chartist  Association  had  anything  to  do.  In  August 
of  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  by  this  body  as  a 
delegate  to  the  Chartists'  Convention  at  Manchester. 
On  the  way  thither  he  lectured  or  spoke  in  the  open 
air  at  Birmingham,  Wednesbury,  Bilston,  Wolver- 
hampton, and  at  length  came  to  Hanley,  where  he 
addressed  a  vast  crowd  of  men  at  "  the  Crown  Banh." 
His  subject  was  the  sixth  commandment,  "  Thou  shalt 
do  no  murder,"  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  violations  of 
this  law  by  conquerors  and  legislators,  and  by  masters 
who  oppressed  the  hireling  in  his  wages.  The  men 
were  now  out  on  strike,  and  the  excitement  produced 
by  this  and  another  address  on  the  following  night 
was  intense.  He  counselled  perpetually  "  peace,  law, 
and  order,"  and  bade  the  men  hold  out  in  their  strike 
until  the  People's  Charter  became  the  law  of  the  land. 
Eiot  and  incendiarism  broke  out  in  a  short  time,  for 
which  Cooper  was  in  no  way  directly  responsible,  but 
had,  on  the  other  hand,  distinctly  endeavoured  to 
dissuade  them  from.  He  was  taken  prisoner  on  his 
return  from  Manchester,  and  having  been  tried  for  the 
crime  of  arson,  was  acquitted,  having  pleaded  his  own 


THOMAS  COOPER.  219 

case  so  eloquently  that  the  judge  was  evidently  affected, 
and  the  ladies  present  at  the  trial  were  even  moved 
to  tears.  Tried  again  at  the  Spring  Assizes  on  the 
charge  of  sedition,  he  cross-examined  the  witnesses 
from  Monday  to  Saturday  at  noon,  and  then  proceeded 
to  sum  up  his  defence  in  a  speech  which  altogether 
(Sunday  intervening)  lasted  ten  hours.  "  I  do  not 
think,"  he  remarks,  "I  ever  spoke  so  powerfully  in 
my  life  as  during  the  last  hour  of  that  defence.  The 
peroration,  the  Stafford  papers  said,  would  never  be 
forgotten ;  and  I  remember  as  I  sat  down,  panting  for 
breath  and  utterly  exhausted,  how  Talfourd  and. 
Erskine  and  the  jury  sat  transfixed,  gazing  at  me  in 
silence,  and  the  whole  crowded  place  was  breathless, 
as  it  seemed,  for  a  minute."  The  case  being  removed 
by  a  "  writ  of  certiorari "  to  the  Court  of  Queen's 
Bench,  was  tried  on  the  5th  of  May  1843.  In  his 
defence  Thomas  Cooper  again  delivered  an  eloquent 
speech,  five  and  a  half  hours  long,  and  was  again 
acquitted  of  the  charge  of  felony.  Judge  Erskine's 
notes  of  the  trial  had  "  mistake  "  written  alongside  the 
evidence  on  that  part  of  the  charge.  But  the  eloquent 
Chartist  orator  was  convicted  on  the  charge  of  sedition 
and  conspiracy,  and  sent  to  Stafford  jail  for  two  years. 
There  are  few  chapters  in  the  Autobiography  so 
full  of  interest  and  so  graphically  written  as  those 
which  describe  Thomas  Cooper's  prison  experience. 
Galled  to  the  quick  by  the  treatment  he  received — for 
he  was  kept  on  low,  miserable  fare  and  denied  "lite- 
rary privileges  " — he  determined  to  break  down  "  the 
system  of  restraint  in  Stafford  jail,  and  win  the  privi- 
lege of  reading  and  writing,  or  die  in  the  attempt." 
After  many  manoeuvres  he  managed  to  get  pen,  ink, 


220  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and  paper,  and  write  a  petition  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, which  was  handed  in  at  the  bar  of  the  House 
by  Mr.  Duncombe,  M.P.  for  Finsbury.  All  that  he 
could  reasonably  expect  was  now  granted  in  answer  to 
his  appeal,  and  the  remainder  of  his  time  was  filled  up 
with  literary  work.  He  revelled  in  the  English  poets 
from  Shakespeare  to  Shelley ;  read  again  the  "  Decline 
and  Fall,"  Prideaux's  "  Connexion,"  White's  "Selborne," 
&c.,  &c. ;  fell  passionately  in  love  with  the  study  of 
Hebrew,  and  almost  raved  about  the  glories  of  the 
sacred  language  of  the  Old  Testament ;  and  read  two- 
thirds  of  the  Hebrew  Bible,  copying  out  verbs  and 
nouns  as  he  went  along.  One  day  he  was  visited  by 
Lord  Sandon,  afterwards  Earl  of  Harrowby,  who  fell 
into  conversation  with  the  learned  prisoner  about  the 
poetical  books  of  the  Bible  in  the  old  German  edition 
which  lay  open  before  him  on  the  table.  A  short 
time  before  his  release  the  chaplain  told  him  that  the 
way  was  open  for  him  to  go  to  Cambridge  if  he  would  ; 
but  the  conditions  were  such  as  did  not  suit  the  inde- 
pendent mind  of  the  political  martyr.  Cooper  had  a 
shrewd  suspicion  that  the  visit  of  the  nobleman  had 
some  connection  with  this  generous  offer. 

Cooper's  best  work  in  Stafford  jail  was  the  compo- 
sition of  the  well-known  poem,  "  The  Purgatory  of 
Suicides."  This  poem,  he  tells  us,  was  the  working 
out  of  a  thought  which  occurred  to  him  ten  years 
before,  when  he  was  sitrting  as  a  reporter  in  the  assize 
court  at  Lincoln.  The  historical  romance,  the  first 
part  of  which  he  had  carried  to  London  in  1839,  was 
also  completed  during  his  imprisonment,  and  he  wrote 
during  the  same  period  a  volume  of  tales,  afterwards 
published  under  the  title,  "  Wise  Saws  and  Modern 


THOMAS  COOPER.  221 

Instances."  "  These,"  he  says,  "  I  took  out  of  prison 
with  me  as  my  keys  for  unlocking  the  gates  of 
fortune." 

On  his  liberation,  May  4th,  1845,  he  went  up  to 
London,  shedding  tears  of  gladness  and  gratitude  on 
the  way  as  he  looked  once  more  on  the  green  fields 
and  hedgerow^s  of  the  Midland  Counties.  His  first  care 
was  to  find  a  publisher  for  his  prison  rhyme  and  tales. 
As  soon  as  he  was  able  he  sought  out  Mr.  Duncombe, 
to  thank  him  for  his  generous  help  in  the  matter  of 
the  petition  to  the  House  of  Commons,  and  to  ask  for 
counsel  in  seeking  a  publisher.  Duncombe  sent  him 
to  Mr.  D'Israeli,  with  the  following  note : — 

"  My  dear  D'Israeli, — I  send  you  Mr.  Cooper,  a 
Chartist,  red-hot  from  Stafford  jail.  But  don't  be 
frightened ;  he  won't  bite  you.  He  has  written  a 
poem  and  a  romance,  and  thinks  he  can  cut  out 
'  Coningsby '  and  '  Sybil.'  Help  him  if  you  can,  and 
oblige  yours,  T.  S.  Duncombe." 

It  is  gratifying  to  read  of  the  kindness  with  which 
the  shrewd  statesman,  then  a  Tory  of  the  Tories, 
received  the  "  red-hot  radical."  "  I  wish  I  had  seen 
you  before  I  finished  my  last  novel,"  said  he ;  "  my 
heroine  Sybil  is  a  Chartist."  With  the  kindly  help 
of  Douglas  Jerrold  the  "  Purgatory "  was  at  length 
published  by  Jeremiah  How,  Meet  Street,  who  under- 
took to  bear  the  cost  and  risk  of  printing.  It  came  out 
in  September  1845,  and  the  five  hundred  copies  of  the 
first  edition  were  sold  off  before  Christmas.  Cooper 
now  began  to  write  for  Douglas  Jerrold's  "  Shilling 
Magazine."     The  volume  of  tales  called  "  Wise  Saws," 


222  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

&c.,  and  a  short  poem,  "The  Baron's  Yule  Feast,"  were 
issued  about  the  same  time.  The  "  Purgatory  of 
Suicides  "  had  been  dedicated,  without  leave  asked,  to 
Thomas  Carlyle,  to  whom  the  author  sent  a  copy,  and 
from  wliom  he  received  in  acknowledgment  a  charac- 
teristic letter,  in  which,  among  other  kind  and  wise 
things,  that  greatest  of  all  the  literary  men  of  his  age 
said,  "  I  have  looked  into  your  poem,  and  find  indis- 
putable traces  of  genius  in  it — a  dark  Titanic  energy 
struggling  there,  for  which  we  hope  there  will  be 
clearer  daylight  by  and  by ;  "  and  along  with  the  letter 
came  a  copy  of  "  Past  and  Present,"  with  Carlyle's 
autograph.  In  1846  Cooper  was  at  work  on  Douglas 
Jerrold's  weekly  paper,  visiting  the  Midland  and 
Northern  Counties  as  a  sort  of  commissioner,  and 
writing  articles  on  the  "  Condition  of  the  People  of 
England."  Passing  through  the  Lake  District,  he 
called  on  Wordsworth,  and  was  most  kindly  received 
by  the  "  majestic  old  man."  Great,  however,  was  the 
Chartist's  amazement  to  hear  the  "  Tory  "  Wordsworth 
say  with  reference  to  the  Chartist  movement,  "  You 
were  right ;  I  have  always  said  the  people  were  right 
in  what  they  asked ;  but  you  went  the  wrong  way  to 
get  it."  On  his  return  to  London,  Cooper  engaged  to 
lecture  on  Sunday  evenings  at  South  Place,  Pinsbury 
Square,  and  continued  the  work  of  public  lecturer  for 
the  next  eight  years.  During  this  time  he  lectured 
through  the  winter  for  various  political  and  socialist 
societies  in  several  large  halls  in  London,  such  as  the 
John  Street  Institution  and  the  "  Hall  of  Science," 
City  Eoad,  and  filled  up  the  time  during  the  summer 
by  lecturing  tours  throughout  the  kingdom.  He  had 
now  become  a  sceptic,  i.e.,  doubter,  and  confined  himself 


THOMAS  COOPER.  223 

in  his  lectures  exclusively  to  secular  topics,  political  or 
literary.  The  misery  he  had  witnessed  in  Leicester 
and  the  Potteries,  the  failure  of  all  his  efforts  to  benefit 
the  suffering  poor,  and  the  long  imprisonment  he  had 
endured  as  a  disinterested  champion  of  their  cause, 
had  sorely  shaken  his  faith  in  Divine  Providence  and 
driven  him  to  the  verge  of  downright  atheism,  but  only 
to  the  verge :  he  declares  that  he  was  never  on  atheist, 
nor  ever  "  proclaimed  blank  atheism  in  his  public 
teaching."  ^  Yet  it  must  be  confessed  he  went  far  in 
this  direction.  The  worst  period  of  his  life  in  this 
respect  was  the  winter  of  1848-49,  when,  having  be- 
come a  disciple  of  Strauss,  he  engaged  to  give  a  series  of 
lectures  on  Sunday  evenings  in  the  "  Hall  of  Science  " 
on  the  teachings  of  the  "  Leben  Jesu."  He  says : 
"  There  is  no  part  of  my  teaching  as  a  public  lecturer 
that  I  regret  so  deeply  as  this.  It  would  rejoice  my 
heart  indeed  if  I  could  obliterate  those  lectures  from 
the  realm  of  fact."  ^  But  for  the  most  part  his  ad- 
dresses were  on  purely  literary  or  historical  subjects, 
and  marvellous  indeed  was  the  versatility  and  extent 
of  learning  they  displayed.  The  enumeration  of  topics 
alone  would  occupy  several  pages.  Every  one  of  the 
chief  English  poets  and  their  poems,  the  history  of  every 
European  country,  the  lives  of  great  reformers,  states- 
men, generals,  inventors,  discoverers,  men  of  science, 
musicians,  ancient  philosophers  and  modern  philanthro- 
pists, negro  slavery,  taxation,  national  debt,  the  age  of 
chivalry,  the  Middle  Ages,  wrongs  of  I'oland,  the 
Gipsies,  ancient  Egypt,  astronomy,  geology,  natural 
history,  the  vegetable  kingdom — these   and  scores  of 

1  "  Life  of  Thomas  Cooper,"  p.  262,  also  pp.  356-367. 
-  Ibid.,  p.  316. 


224  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

other  topics  were  treated  during  these  years  of  lectur- 
ing life  in  London  and  the  provinces.  In  addition  to 
these  duties  he  had  other  cares  and  toils.  In  1 848-49 
he  edited  a  weeldy  paper  called  the  Plain  Speaker, 
and  in  the  following  year  Cooper's  Journal.  His 
"Triumph  of  Perseverance"  appeared  in  1849,  "Al- 
derman Ealph  "  and  "  The  Family  Feud,"  two  novels, 
in  1853  and  1855  respectively. 

Eeturning  from  a  lecturing  tour  at  the  end  of  1855, 
he  was  conscious  of  a  great  and  vital  change  which 
had  for  some  time  been  going  on  within  his  mind,  and 
when  he  attempted  to  recommence  his  work  at  the 
City  Hall  in  January  1856,  he  found  it  impossible  to 
CO  on  aloncj  the  old  lines.  On  a  certain  memorable 
night,  when  announced  to  speak  on  "  Sweden  and  the 
Swedes,"  he  could  not  utter  a  word.  He  turned  pale 
as  death,  and  as  the  audience  sat  gazing  and  wondering 
what  could  have  come  to  the  bold  and  fluent  speaker, 
whose  tongue  was  ready  on  every  theme,  his  pent-up 
feelings  at  length  found  vent.  He  told  the  people  he 
could  lecture  on  Sweden,  but  must  relieve  his  con- 
science, for  he  could  suppress  conviction  no  longer. 
He  then  declared  that  he  had  been  insisting  on  the 
duty  of  morality  for  years,  but  there  had  been  this 
radical  defect  in  his  teachings,  that  he  had  "  neglected 
to  teach  the  right  foundation  for  morals — the  existence 
of  a  Divine  moral  Governor."  ^  In  the  storm  which 
followed  he  challenged  them  to  bring  the  best  sceptics 
they  could  muster  in  the  metropolis,  and  he  would 
meet  them  in  debate  on  the  being  of  God  and  the 
argument  for  a  future  state.  He  kept  his  promise,  and 
for  four  nights  maintained  his  ground  against  Rolert 

1  "Life  of  Thomas  Cooper,"  p.  353. 


THOMAS  COOPER.  225 

Cooper^  and  others  in  the  City  Hall  and  the  John 
Street  Institute. 

But  though  the  battle  was  fought  out  bravely  in 
public,  he  had  yet  another  conflict  to  wage  and  win  ere 
his  mind  enjoyed  rest  and  peace  in  the  faith  of  a  true 
Christian.  In  this  conflict  he  received  valuable  aid 
from  the  Eev.  Charles  Kingsley,^  and  his  old  friend 
and  relative,  Dr.  Jobson.  Through  the  kind  interest 
of  the  Eev.  F.  D.  Maurice,  W.  E.  Foster,  M.P.,  and 
W.  F.  -€owper,  President  of  the  Board  of  Health, 
Cooper  obtained  employment  for  two  years  under 
Government  as  a  copyist  of  letters.  Eeturning  to  the 
City  Hall,  he  now  began  a  series  of  Sunday-evening 
lectures  on  Theism,  and  advancing  stage  by  stage,  he 
took  up  such  themes  as  the  Moral  Government  of 
God, 'Man's  Moral  Nature,  the  Soul  and  a  Future  State, 
Evidences  of  Christianity,  Atonement,  Faith,  Eepent- 
ance,  &c.  But  his  return  to  the  truth  of  Christ  and 
Christianity  was  gradual,  though  sure.  As  he  says,  "  I 
had  been  twelve  years  a  sceptic ;  and  it  was  not  until 
fully  two  years  had  been  devoted  to  hard  reading  and 
thinking  that  I  could  conscientiously  and  truly  say,  I 
am  again  a  Christian,  even  nominally."  Saved  in  an 
extraordinary  manner  from  death  by  a  railway  accident 
as  he  was  travelling  to  Bradford  on  the  loth  May 
1858,  he  finally  and  fully  resolved  to  dedicate  his 
powers  to  the  service  of  God,  saying  within  himself  as 
he  stood  looking  on  the  mournful  sight  of  the  ruined 

^  The  charges  of  atheism  and  atheistic  advocacy  made  against 
Thomas  Cooper  have  often  arisen  from  confounding  Thomas  Cooper 
the  sceptic  with  Rohert  Cooper  the  infield.  See  "Life  of  Thomas 
Cooper,"  p.  357. 

2  See  letters  to  Thomas  Cooper  in  "  Kingsley's  Life  and  Letters." 
London  :   Henry  King  &  Co.,  1S77,  pp.  183  and  221,  &;c. 

P 


226  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

train  and  the  dead  and  wounded  lying  around,  "  Oh, 
take  my  life,  which  Thou  hast  graciously  kept,  and  let 
it  be  devoted  to  Thee.  I  have  again  entered  Thy  ser- 
vice ;  let  me  never  more  leave  it,  but  live  only  to 
spread  Thy  truth  !  " 

He  began  at  once  not  only  to  lecture  on  the  evi- 
dences of  Christianity,  but  to  preach,  and  received 
many  solicitations  to  join  different  religious  societies. 
Dr.  Hook  of  Leeds  generously  offered  him  an  appoint- 
ment as  head  of  a  band  of  Scripture-readers,  with 
freedom  to  go  out  on  his  own  mission  as  a  speaker 
when  he  pleased.  This  offer  he  declined,  with  grateful 
thanks  to  the  worthy  vicar.  In  the  spring  of  the 
following  year  he  decided  to  join  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation, and  writes,  "  Eeflection  made  me  a  Baptist  in 
conviction,  and  on  Whitsunday  1859  my  old  and  dear 
friend,  Joseph  Foulkes  Winks,  immersed  me  in  baptism 
in  Friar  Lane  Chapel,  Leicester." 

From  that  time  to  the  present — twenty-two  years 
— Thomas  Cooper  has  devoted  his  great  powers  to 
the  work  of  preaching  aud  lecturing  on  the  evidences 
of  the  Christian  religion.  The  energy  and  ability 
displayed  in  this  noble  work  by  the  veteran  orator 
have  been  remarkable.  For  months  together  he  has 
been  known  to  travel  long  distances  by  rail,  and 
lecture  four  or  five  times  in  the  week,  and  preach 
three  times  on  Sunday.  After  a  two  hours'  lecture  he 
was  wont,  during  the  first  few  years  of  this  period,  to 
recite  the  first  two  or  three  books  of  Milton's  "  Para- 
dise Lost."  Few,  if  any,  that  ever  heard  his  preach- 
ing can  forget  its  rich  spirituality  of  tone  and  delight- 
ful purity  and  simplicity  of  style.  The  lectures  it  is 
hard  to  describe  without  seeming  to  exaggerate  their 


THOMAS  COOPER.  227 

rare  merits.  The  best  testimony  to  their  worth  has 
been  given  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  who  have 
come  together  to  listen  to  them  as  delivered  in  all  the 
chief  towns  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  and  by  their  rapid  and  extensive 
sale  when  published.  Crowded  with  facts  of  history 
or  science,  which  are  clearly  arranged  and  pressed  into 
the  service  of  logical  argument,  delivered  extempo- 
raneously in  language  of  the  truest  and  homeliest 
Saxon  type,  and  often  marked  by  passages  of  great 
eloquence,  these  lectures  may  be  taken  as  ideals  of 
what  popular  lectures  on  religious  evidences  should 
be.  Of  his  present  employment,  Thomas  Cooper, 
writing  in  1872,  says,  in  his  own  simple  fashion: 
"My  work  is  indeed  a  happy  work.  Sunday  is  now 
a  day  of  heaven  to  me.  I  feel  that  to  preach  '  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ '  is  the  most  exalted  and 
ennoblin<T  work  in  which  a  human  creature  can  be 
engaged.  And  believing  that  I  am  performing  the 
work  of  duty — that  I  am  right — my  employment  of 
lecturing  on  the  '  Evidences  of  Natural  and  Eevealed 
Eelision,'  from  week  to  week,  fills  me  with  the  con- 
soling  reflection  that  my  life  is  not  being  spent  in 
vain,  much  less  spent  in  evil."  Happy  close  of  a 
strangely  eventful  and  chequered  life  !  May  the  stal- 
wart old  labourer  of  scvcnty-fivc  be  spared  to  scatter 
many  a  handful  of  the  seeds  of  truth  before  he  hears 
the  summons  which  shall  end  his  labours. 

We  have  spoken,  in  the  title  of  this  chapter,  of 
Thomas  Cooper  as  "  The  self-educated  shoemaker 
who  reared  his  own  monument."  This  sketch  can- 
not be  closed  more  appropriately  than  by  giving  the 
titles   of  the  works  published  during  the   last   eight 


228  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

years — the    stones  Tvliich  form  the  chief  part  of  that 
monument : — 

The   Bridge   of  History   over  the    Gulf    of  Time   (1872), 

twentieth  thousand. 
Plain  Pulpit-Talk  (1872),  third  edition. 
The  Life  of  Thomas  Cooper,  written  by   Himself  (1872), 

twelfth  thousand. 
The  Paradise  of  Martyrs,  or  Faith  Ehyme  (1873). 
God,  the  Soul,  and  a  Future  State  (1873),  eighth  thousand. 
Old-Fashioned  Stories  (1874),  third  edition. 
The  Verity  of  Christ's  Kesurrection  from  the  Dead  (1875), 

fifth  thousand. 
The   Verity  and  Value   of  the  Miracles  of  Christ  (1876), 

fourth  thousand. 
The  Poetical  Works  —  Purgatory  of  Suicides,   Paradise  of 

Martyrs,    Minor    Poems   (1877),    Evolution,    the    Stone 

Book,  and    the  Mosaic  Eecord  of  Creation  (1878),  third 

thousand. 
The  Atonement  and  other  Discourses  (1880). 


a  Constellation  of  delebratcb 
Cobblers, 


'  This  day  is  called  the  feast  of  Crispin  : 

And  Crispin  Crispian  shall  ne'er  go  by, 

From  this  day  to  the  ending  of  the  world, 

But  we  in  it  shall  be  remembered  : 

We  few,  we  happy  few,  we  band  of  brothers." 

—Shakespeare.  King  Henry  Fifth's  A  ddress 
to  the  Leaders  of  the  English  Army  on 
the  Eve  of  the  Battle  of  Agincourt.  Act 
v.,  Scene  3. 


(      231      ) 


A  CONSTELLATION  OF  CELEBRATED 
COBBLERS. 

I^^RCHBISHOP  WHATELY  once  amused  a 
KSa^^  clerical  dinner-party  by  asking  the  question, 
M>¥^]  "  Why  do  ivUte  sheep  eat  more  than  black 
sheep  ? "  When  none  of  his  friends  could  answer  the 
question,  the  witty  Archbishop  dryly  remarked  that 
one  reason  undoubtedly  was  that  "  there  were  more  of 
them."  The  question  is  often  asked,  "How  are  we 
to  account  for  the  fact  that  shoemakers  outnumber 
any  other  handicraft  in  the  ranks  of  illustrious 
men  ?  "  ^  Perhaps  this  question  may  be  answered  in 
the  same  way.  At  all  events,  the  answer  "  there  are 
more  of  them,"  will  go  a  long  way  toward  a  solution 
of  this  interesting  social  problem.  The  sons  of  Crispin 
are  certainly  a  very  numerous  class,  and  it  is  but 
natural  that  they  should  figure  largely  in  the  lists  of 
famous  men.  But  inquirers  on  this  subject  are  not 
generally  satisfied  by  an  appeal  to  statistics.  It  is 
felt  that  something  more  is  required  in  order  to  account 
for  the  remarkable  proportion  of  shoemakers  in  the 
roll  of  men  of  mark.  In  addition  to  this,  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  reputation  of  shoemakers  does 
not  depend   entirely  on  their  most  illustrious  repre- 

1  Amongst  others,  Coleridge  observed  that  shoemakers  had  given 
to  the  world  a  larger  number  of  eminent  men  than  any  handicraft. 
The  philosopher  was  rather  partial  to  shoemakers,  from  the  time 
when,  as  a  boy  at  Christ's  Hospital,  he  wished  to  be  apprenticed  to 
the  trade  of  shoemaking. 


232  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

sentatives.  They  have,  as  a  class,  a  reputation  which 
is  quite  unique.  The  followers  of  "the  gentle  craft" 
have  generally  stood  foremost  among  artisans  as  re- 
gards intelligence  and  social  influence.  Probably  no 
class  of  workmen  could,  in  these  respects,  compete 
with  them  fifty  or  a  hundred  years  ago,  when  educa- 
tion and  reading  were  not  so  common  as  they  are  now. 
Almost  to  a  man  they  had  some  credit  for  thoughtful- 
ness,  shrewdness,  logical  skill,  and  debating  power ; 
and  their  knowledge  derived  from  books  was  admitted 
to  be  beyond  the  average  among  operatives.  They 
were  generally  referred  to  by  men  of  their  own  social 
status  for  the  settlement  of  disputed  points  in  litera- 
ture, science,  politics,  or  theology.  Advocates  of 
political,  social,  or  religious  reform,  local  preachers, 
Methodist  "  class-leaders,"  and  Sunday-school  teachers, 
were  drafted  in  larger  numbers  from  the  fraternity  of 
shoemakers  than  from  any  other  craft. 

How  are  we  to  account  for  such  facts  as  these  ? 
Is  there  anything  in  the  occupation  of  the  shoemaker 
which  is  peculiarly  favourable  to  habits  of  thought 
and  study  ?  It  would  seem  to  be  so ;  and  yet  it 
would  be  difficult  to  show  what  it  is  that  gives  him 
an  advantage  over  all  other  workmen.  The  secret 
may  lie  in  the  fact  that  he  sits  to  his  work,  and,  as  a 
rule,  sits  alone ;  that  his  occupation  stimulates  his 
mind  without  wholly  occupying  and  absorbing  its 
powers ;  that  it  leaves  him  free  to  break  off,  if  he  will, 
at  intervals,  and  glance  at  the  book  or  make  notes  on 
the  paper  which  lies  beside  him.  Such  facts  as  these 
have  been  suggested,  and  not  without  reason,  as  helping 
us  to  account  for  the  reputation  which  the  sons  of 
Crispin  enjoy  as  an  uncommonly  clever  class  of  men. 


ANCIENT  EXAMPLES  IN  ASIA  AND 
AFRICA. 


(    235    ) 


THE  COBBLER  AND  THE  ARTIST  APELLES. 

"  Let  the  cobbler  stick  to  his  last." 

[)HE  reputation  of  the  shoemaker  class  is  not 
confined  to  our  own  country  or  to  modern 
times.  It  is  pretty  much  the  same  in  all 
countries,  and  reaches  back  to  very  ancient  times. 
The  proverb,  "  Ne  Siitor  ^dtra  crepidam," — "  Let  the 
cobbler  stick  to  his  last  " — is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
existence.  Few  proverbs  are  more  universally  and 
frequently  quoted.  It  is  based  on  a  story  which 
comes  down  to  us  from  the  times  of  Alexander  the 
Great.  Even  if  the  story,  as  it  is  told  in  our  Grecian 
histories,  be  not  authentic,  it  serves  to  show  that  even 
in  times  preceding  the  Christian  era  cobblers  were  re- 
garded as  a  shrewd  and  observant  set  of  men.  But 
there  is  no  reason  that  we  know  of  to  doubt  the 
story,  which  is  well  worth  repeating.  It  is  told  of 
Apelles,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  old  Greek 
painters,  who  flourished  about  300  B.C.  He  was  the 
friend  of  Alexander,  and  the  only  artist  whom  the 
great  warrior  would  allow  to  paint  his  portrait. 
Apelles,  we  are  told,  was  not  ashamed  to  learn  from 
the  humblest  critics.  As  Lord  Bacon  says,  he  did  not 
object  to  "  light  his  torch  at  any  man's  candle."  Eor 
this  reason,  knowing  that  a  good  deal  may  sometimes 
be  learned  from  the  observations  of  passers-by,  he  was 


236  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

in  the  habit  of  placing  his  pictures  before  they  were 
quite  finished  outside  his  house ;  and  then,  crouching 
down  behind  them,  he  listened  to  the  remarks  of 
spectators.  On  one  occasion  a  cobbler  noticed  a  fault 
in  the  painting  of  a  shoe,  and  remarking  upon  it  to  a 
person  standing  by,  passed  on.  As  soon  as  the  man 
was  out  of  sight  Apelles  came  from  his  hiding-place, 
examined  the  painting,  found  that  the  cobbler's  criti- 
cism was  just,  and  at  once  corrected  the  error.  Once 
more  the  picture  was  exposed,  while  the  artist  lay 
behind  it  to  hear  what  further  might  be  said.  The 
cobbler  came  by  again,  and  soon  discovered  that  the 
fault  he  had  pointed  out  had  been  remedied  ;  and, 
emboldened  by  the  success  of  his  criticism,  began  to 
express  his  opinion  pretty  freely  about  the  painting 
of  the  leg  !  This  was  too  much  for  the  patience  of 
the  artist,  who  rushed  from  his  hiding-place  and  told 
the  cobbler  to  stick  to  his  sJioes.  Hence  the  proverb, 
which  for  more  than  two  thousand  years  ^  has  ex- 
pressed the  common  feeling,  that  critics  would  do  well 
not  to  venture  beyond  their  legitimate  province. 


TJVO  SHOEMAKER-BISHOPS— ANNIANUS  OF 
ALEXANDRIA,  AND  ALEXANDER  OF 
COMANA. 

If  the  shoemaker  has  found  a  place  in  classic  his- 
tory, it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  he  has  a  place  in 
ecclesiastical  history  also.      In  two  instances  a  shoe- 

1  It  is  used  by  Pliny,  who  died  a.d.  79. 


TWO  SHOEMAKER-BISHOPS.  237 

maker  is  said  to  have  been  taken  direct  from  the  stall 
and  elevated  to  the  episcopal  chair.     No  doubt  many 
shoemakers  have  been  endowed  with  sufficient  piety 
and  learning  for  this  sacred  and  dignified  office,  and 
probably    not    a    few    have    deemed    themselves    fit, 
whether  they  were  so   or  not,  to  discharge  its  high 
functions ;    but  the  instances  here  given  are,  we  be- 
lieve, quite  unique.      The  first  is  tliat  of  Anianus  or 
Annianus    (a.d.   62-86),   who  is  said   to    have    been 
appointed  by  St.  Mark  to  assist  him  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Church  at  Alexandria.      On  the  outbreak 
of  persecution  under  Nero,  Mark  fled  from  the  city ; 
and,  as  Eusebius  says,  "  Nero  was  now  in  his  eighth 
year,  when  Annianus  succeeded  the  Apostle  and  Evan- 
gelist ]\Iark  in   the  administration  of  the  Church  at 
Alexandria."      The  historian   adds,   "  He    (Annianus) 
was  a  man  distinguished  for  piety,  and  admirable  in 
every    respect."  ^       He    died   in   the    fourth    year    of 
Domitian,  S6  a.d.     He  was  the  first  Bishop  of  Alex- 
andria, and  filled  the  office  twenty-two  years.^      To 
these  simple   statements  of  the    historian   are   added 
the  stories  which  found  a  ready  acceptance  in  later 
times.     To  the  fact  that  the  worthy  Alexandrian  was 
a  shocmaJccr  tradition  added  the  account  of  the  miracle 
wrouglit  upon  him  by  St.  Mark.      One  account  tells 
us   that   the  Evangelist,  on  passing  along  the  street, 
burst  his  shoe  and  turned  in  to  get  it  repaired,  and  so 
became  acquainted  with  Annianus.     Another  version 
of  the   story  declares  that  the   cobbler,   having   hurt 
his   hand  with  an  awl,  uttered  a  not  very  pious  ex- 
clamation,  which   Mark   overheard  as  he  passed  by, 

^  Eccles.  Hist.,  Book  ii.  cap.  xxiv.  -  Ibid.,  Book  iii.  cap.  xiv. 


238  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and  going  in  to  inquire  the  cause,  took  the  oppor- 
tunity not  only  to  heal  the  wound,  hut  to  speak  to 
the  impatient  workman  of  the  true  and  living  God 
whose  name  he  had  taken  in  vain.  Annianus  is 
commemorated  in  the  Eoman  Martyrology  with  St. 
Mark  on  the  25  th  April/ 

The  other  appointment  of  a  shoemaker  to  the 
episcopate  was  due  to  the  piety  and  wisdom  of  Gre- 
gory Thaumaturgus,  the  pupil  and  friend  of  Origen 
(220-270  A.D.)  Gregory  was  then  Bishop  of  Neo- 
Csesarea  in  Asia  Minor,  and  when  a  vacancy  occurred 
in  the  bishopric  of  Comana  in  Cappadocia,  he  defied 
all  conventionalism  and  prejudice,  and  appointed  "  a 
poor  shoemaker  named  Alexander,  despised  by  the 
world,  but  great  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  did  honour 
to  so  exalted  a  station  in  the  Church."^  He  was 
chosen  in  preference  to  scholars  and  men  of  good 
social  status  on  account  of  his  extraordinary  piety. 
This  Alexander  justified  the  choice  thus  made  by 
reason  of  his  excellent  discourse,  his  holy  living,  and 
a  martyr's  death.  He  is  honoured  in  the  Eoman 
Calender  on  August  11.^ 

^  Annianus  is  regarded  in  some  countries  as  the  patron  saint  of 
shoemakers.  Campion's  "Delightful  History  of  ye  Gentle  Craft:" 
Northampton  :  Taylor  &  Son,  2d  ed.,  1S76,  p.  25. 

-  Pressense's  "Early  Years  of  Christianity."  London:  Hodder  & 
Stoughton,  1S79,  vol.  ii.  p.  355. 

^  Dr.  Smith's  "Diet.  Christian  Biog. , "  art.  "Gregory  Thaumaturgus.' 
In  this  article  Gregory  is  called  a  charcoal-burner.  Probably,  like 
many  other  shoemakers,  he  followed  more  than  one  vocation. 


THE  PIOUS  COBBLER.  239 

TJI£  PIOUS  COBBLER  OF  ALEXANDRIA. 

Quite  as  good  a  mau,  no  doubt,  if  not  as  fit  to  fill 
tlie  episcopal  chair,  was  the  pious  cobbler  of  Alexa7idria, 
of  whom  we  read  that  St.  Antony  paid  him  a  visit  in 
consequence  of  a  voice  from  Heaven  which  said  to 
him,  "  Antony,  thou  art  not  so  perfect  as  a  cobbley 
that  dwelleth  at  Alexandria."  The  pious  anchorite 
was  in  the  habit  of  hearing  such  voices  and  obeying 
them.  All  the  leadiug  events  of  his  life  were  accom- 
panied by  a  similar  message  from  Heaven,  as  he 
deemed  it.  Accordingly  he  took  his  staff,  and  leaving 
his  secluded  retreat  in  the  desert,  came  down  to  the 
great  city  in  search  of  the  pious  cobbler.  Arriving 
before  his  door,  where  the  good  mau  sat  at  work, 
Antony  asked  him  for  an  account  of  himself  and  his 
mode  of  living.  "  Sir,"  answered  the  cobbler,  "  as  for 
me,  good  works  I  have  none.  My  life  is  but  simple, 
seeing  I  am  but  a  poor  cobbler.  In  the  morning 
when  I  rise,  I  pray  for  the  whole  city  wherein  I  dwell, 
especially  for  all  such  neighbours  and  poor  friends  as 
I  have  ;  after  that  I  sit  me  down  to  my  labour,  where 
I  spend  the  whole  day  in  getting  my  living  ;  and  I 
keep  me  from  all  falsehood,  for  I  hate  nothing  so 
much  as  I  do  deceitfulness  ;  wherefore  when  I  make 
any  man  a  promise,  I  keep  it  and  jjerform  it  truly  ; 
and  thus  I  spend  my  time  poorly  with  my  wife  and 
children,  whom  I  teach  and  instruct,  so  far  as  my  wit 
will  serve  me,  to  fear  and  dread  God  ;  and  this  is  the 
sum  of  my  simple  life." 


240  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 


RABBI  JOCHANAN  THE  SHOEMAKER. 

Speaking  of  Alexandria  reminds  us  of  another  worthy 
of  that  city,  the  famous  Jewish  Eabbi  Jochanan  San- 
dalarius,  or  the  shoemaker.  Learned  Eabbins  were 
common  enough  in  Alexandria  from  the  time  of  its 
foundation  by  Alexander  the  Great,  332  B.C.,  down  to 
its  capture  by  the  Arabs  in  the  seventh  century  A.D. 
And  as  it  was  the  custom  with  even  the  most  learned 
Eabbins  to  learn  a  trade,  it  can  be  no  matter  of  surprise 
that  many  of  the  most  eminent  leaders  of  thought 
among  the  Jews  were  employed  in  what  are  now  re- 
garded as  very  humble  occupations.  The  Delegate 
Chief  Eabbi  of  Great  Britain,  in  an  interesting  article 
in  the  "  Nineteenth  Century,"  ^  tells  us  that  "  in  the 
grand  basilica  synagogue  of  Alexandria,  separate  por- 
tions of  the  building  were  assigned  to  the  silversmiths, 
weavers,  and  other  trades.  .  .  .  The  Eabbins,  the  au- 
thorised expounders  of  the  law,  deemed  it  derogatory 
to  receive  any  reward  for  the  exercise  of  their  spiritual, 
doctrinal,  or  judicial  functions,  and  maintained  them- 
selves by  the  labour  of  their  hands.  And  thus  in  the 
Talmud  we  meet,  in  curious  juxtaposition,  the  Eabbi 
and  his  trade  in  such  phrases  as  these :  "  It  was  taught 
by  Eabbi  Jochanan  the  shoemaker."  This  illustrious 
Eabbi  came  from  Alexandria  to  Palestine,  attracted 
by  the  great  name  of  Akiba  Ben  Joseph,  the  famous 
Eabbi,  who  was  the  chief  teacher  of  the  rabbinical 
school  at  Jaffa  at  the  close  of  the  first  century  and  the 
beginning  of  the  second.  In  this  school  there  were  said 
to  be  no  less  than  24,000  pupils.     Akiba  sided  with 

1  December  iSSi. 


ANCIENT  EXAMPLES.  241 

Bar  Cocheba  in  his  revolt  against  Eome,  132  a.d., 
acknowledged  him  as  the  Messiah,  and  became  his 
armour-bearer.  On  the  death  of  Bar  Cocheba  and 
the  destruction  of  his  army,  Akiba  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Eomans  for  a  long 
time,  until  his  cruel  death  under  Severus.  During  his 
imprisonment  Jochanan  managed  to  get  access  to  his 
cell,  and  receive  instructions  from  him  on  questions 
which  had  not  then  been  settled.  Through  Jochanan 
and  Meir,  Akiba  greatly  influenced  the  teachers  of 
the  next  generation,  Jochanan  was  certainly  one  of 
his  most  illustrious  pupils,  taking  a  leading  part  in 
the  theological  discussions  of  the  Tanaim,  the  authors 
of  the  Mishna  and  Gamara,  where  his  opinions  are 
frequently  quoted.  In  the  Mishna  Aboth  ^  "  Eabbi 
Jochanan  the  shoemaker"  is  reported  to  have  made 
the  following  sensible  remark,  which  reminds  one  of 
the  counsel  of  Gamaliel  to  the  Sanhedrim  at  Jerusa- 
lem :  ^  "  An  association  established  for  a  praiseworthy 
object  must  ultimately  succeed ;  but  an  association 
established  without  such  an  object  cannot  succeed." 

Mv.   II.  *  Acts  V.  3S,  39. 


^EUROPEAN  EXAMPLES:   FRANCE. 


(     245 


FEANCE. 


SS.  CRISPIN  AND  CRISPIANUS,  THE  PATRON 
SAINTS  OF  SHOEMAKERS 

NDOUBTEDLY  the  first  shoemakers  who 
obtained  anything  like  a  general  reputa- 
tion were  the  famous  brothers  Crispin  and 
Crispianus,  who  are  said  to  have  lived  in  the  third 
century  of  our  era.  These  saints  have  been  regarded 
almost  ever  since  that  early  time  as  the  tutelary  or 
patron  saints  of  shoemakers,  who  are,  to  tell  the 
truth,  not  a  little  proud  of  their  romantic  title,  "  the 
sons  of  Crispin."  We  must  be  careful  how  we  speak 
of  these  saints,  for  it  seems  to  be  an  open  question 
whether  the  story  of  their  holy  self-denying  lives  and 
martyr-deaths  be  true  or  false.  If  the  main  features 
of  the  story  be  true,  they  have  been  greatly  distorted 
by  fable.  We  give  the  story  as  it  is  generally  re- 
ported. 

SS.  Crispin  and  Crispianus  were  born  in  Home. 
Having  become  converts  to  Christianity,  they  set  out 
with  St.  Denis  from  that  city  to  become  preachers  of 
the  gospel,  travelled  on  foot  through  Italy,  and  finally 
settled  down  at  a  little  town,  now  called  Soissons,  in 


246  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

the  modern  department  of  Aisne,  about  fifty  or  sixty 
miles  to  the  north-east  of  Paris.  Here  they  are  said 
to  have  devoted  their  time  during  the  day  to  preaching, 
and  to  have  maintained  themselves  by  -working  during 
most  of  the  night  as  shoemakers.  This  they  did  on 
the  apostolic  model  of  Paul,  who,  while  he  carried  on 
his  mission  as  a  preacher,  maintained  himself  by  his 
trade  as  a  tent-maker,  that  he  might  be  "  chargeable 
to  no  man."  Very  little  more  can  be  told  of  the  life 
of  these  saintly  shoemakers  than  this  ;  but  this,  surely, 
is  a  great  deal.  The  story  goes  that  they  suffered 
martyrdom  by  the  order  of  Kictus  Varus,  governor  or 
consul  in  Belgic  Gaul,  during  the  persecution  under 
Diocletian  and  Maximinus,  on  the  2  5tli  of  October 
287.  The  25th  of  October  is  still  kept  in  honour  of 
these  saints  in  some  parts  of  England  and  Wales,  and 
in  other  European  countries.  The  shoemakers  of  the 
district  turn  out  in  large  numbers  and  parade  the 
streets,  headed  by  bands  of  music,  and  accompanied  by 
banners  on  which  are  emblazoned  the  emblems  of  the 
craft. 

It  is  difficult,  as  already  intimated,  to  tell  how 
much  of  pure  legend  has  been  imported  into  the 
history  of  the  saints  of  Soissons.  One  tradition  de- 
clares them  to  have  been  of  noble  birth,  and  to  have 
adopted  their  humble  trade  entirely  for  Christian  and 
charitable  purposes.  Another  story  relates  how  they 
furnished  the  poor  with  shoes  at  a  very  low  price,  and 
that,  in  order  to  replenish  their  stock,  and  as  a  mark 
of  divine  favour,  an  angel  came  to  them  by  night  with 
supplies  of  leather ;  while  yet  another  fable,  not  very 
creditable  to  their  morals,  avows  that  Saint  Crispin 
stole  the  leather,  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  give  shoes 


SS.  CRISPIN  AND  CRISPIANUS.  247 

to  the  poor.  Hence  the  term  Crispinades  to  denote 
charities  done  at  the  expense  of  other  people.  To 
crown  all,  it  is  averred  on  one  authority  that  after 
suffering  a  horrible  death  by  the  sword,  their  bodies 
were  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  were  cast  ashore  at 
Eomney  Marsh.^  Such  tales  are  worthless,  except  as 
indicating  the  wide  extent  of  popularity  the  shoe- 
makers of  Soissons  secured  by  virtue  of  their  piety 
and  benevolence.^ 

'  On  the  beach  at  Lidde,  near  Stonend,  "  there  is  yet  to  be  seene," 
says  Weever,  in  his  "  Funeral  Monuments,"  "  an  heap  of  great  stones 
which  the  neighbour  inhabitants  call  St.  Crispin's  and  St.  Crispinian's 
tomb,  whom  they  report  to  have  been  cast  upon  this  shore  by  ship- 
wracke,  and  from  hence  called  into  the  glorious  company  of  the  saints. 
Look  Jacohus  de  Voraignc,  in  the  legend  of  their  lives,  and  you  may 
believe  perhaps  as  much  as  is  spoken.  They  were  shoemakers,  and 
suffered  martyrdom  the  tenth  of  the  kalends  of  November  (25th  October), 
which  day  is  kept  holy  to  this  day  by  all  our  shoemakers  in  London 
and  elsewhere."— Quoted  in  "Crispin  Anecdotes,"  Sheffield,  1827, 
p.  18. 

*  For  the  legends  of  these  saints,  and  much  curious  information 
respecting  the  craft  and  its  guilds  in  early  times,  the  reader  may  con- 
sult Lacroix,  "  Manners,  Customs,  and  Dress  in  the  Middle  Ages  ; " 
"  Histoire  de  la  Chaussure,"  &c.  That  quaint  old  book,  "  The  Delight- 
ful, Princely,  and  Entertaining  History  of  the  Gentle  Craft,"  by  T. 
Deloney,  1678,  gives  the  story  of  the  princely  and  sa'intli/  brothers  in 
its  English  dress,  and  it  is  one  of  the  strangest  tales  even  in  legendary 
lore.  This  story,  Deloney  tells  us,  accounts  for  the  term  "  gentle 
craft  "  as  applied  to  shoemaking,  and  explains  the  saying  "  a  shoe- 
maker's son  is  a  prince  born."  The  Princes  Crispin  and  Crispinian 
becoming  shoemakers  sufficiently  accounts  for  the  former  term,  for 

"  The  gentle  craft  is  fittest  then 
For  poor  distressed  gentlemen  ;  " 

and  the  marriage  of  Crispine  to  Ursula,  the  daughter  of  the  Emperor 
Maximinus,  and  the  birth  of  a  son  to  the  Prince,  will  explain  the 
latter.  See  the  stories  and  ballads  thereanent  in  Campion's  "  Delight- 
ful History  of  the  Gentle  Craft,"  Northampton,  Taylor  &  Son,  2nd  ed., 
1S76,  pp.  25-35.  A  most  interesting  and  valuable  little  book  on  shoes 
and  shoemakers  in  ancient  and  modern  times. 


248  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Mrs.  Jameson,  in  her  interesting  work  on  "  Legen- 
dary Art,"^  says,  "  The  devotional  figures  which  are 
common  in  old  French  prints  represent  these  saints 
standing  together,  holding  the  palm  in  one  hand,  and 
in  the  other  the  awl  or  shoemaker's  knife.  They  are 
very  often  met  with  in  old  stained  glass  working  at 
their  trade,  or  making  shoes  for  the  poor — the  usual 
subjects  in  shoemakers'  guilds  all  over  France  and 
Germany.  Italian  pictures  of  these  saints  are  rare. 
There  is,  however,  one  by  Guido,  which  represents  the 
throned  Madonna,  and  St.  Crispin  presenting  to  her 
his  brother,  St.  Crispianus,  while  angels  from  above 
scatter  flowers  on  the  group.  Looking  over  the  old 
French  prints  of  St.  Crispin  and  St.  Crispinian,  which 
are  in  general  either  grotesque  or  commonplace,  I  met 
with  one  not  easily  to  be  forgotten.  It  represents 
these  two  famous  saints  proceeding  on  their  mission 
to  preach  the  gospel  in  France.  They  are  careering 
over  the  sea  in  a  barque  drawn  by  sea-horses  and 
attended  by  tritons,  and  are  attired  in  the  full  court- 
dress  of  the  time  of  Louis  XV.,  with  laced  coats  and 
cocked  hats  and  rapiers  !  " 

Probably  many  of  these  curious  prints  may  still  be 
seen  in  the  library  of  the  cathedral  at  Soissons,  famous 
for  its  rare  MSS.  and  books.  But  a  better  memorial 
of  these  patron  saints  than  any  of  the  absurd  repre- 
sentations of  legendary  art  was  the  church  erected  in 
their  honour  in  the  sixth  century,  and  the  religious 
house  which  stood  on  the  traditionary  site  of  their 
prison.      This  house  was  afterwards  transformed  into  a 

^  Vol.  ii.  pp.  305,  306.     London,  Longmans,  1S4S. 


BENOIT  BAUDOUIN.  249 

monastery  dedicated  to  St.  Crispin,  and  in  the  year 
1 142  received  the  sanction  of  Pope  Innocent  11/ 


TJI£  LEARNED  BAUDOUIN. 

The  eminent  French  antiquary,  Bcnoit  Baudouin,  is 
by  far  the  most  learned  man  who  has  risen  from  the 
ranks  of  the  slioemaker  class  in  France.  A  native  of 
Amiens,  he  was  born  somewhere  about  the  middle  of 
the  sixteenth  century.  His  father,  who  was  also  a 
cordonnier  in  that  city,  taught  him  the  art  and  mystery 
of  the  craft ;  but  the  clever  youth  soon  rose  above  his 
lowly  circumstances,  and  became  first  a  theological 
student,  and  afterwards  the  principal  of  the  college  in 
the  old  town  of  Troyes.  Here  the  ancient  and  ex- 
tensive library  delighted  him,  and  his  studies  as  a 
historian  and  antiquary  were  determined  to  some 
extent  by  his  former  occupation  as  a  shoemaker  ;  for, 
besides  a  translation  of  certain  ancient  tragedies,^  he 
is  not  known  to  have  written  any  original  work 
excepting  his  "  Chaussures  des  Anciens,"  or  "  The 
Shoes  of  the  Ancients."  Baudouin  never  blushed  to 
own  his  former  vocation,^  and  in  writing  this  re- 
markable work  he  was  evidently  moved  by  a  desire  to 
do  it  honour.'*      A  strange  book  indeed  it  must  be, 

^  Another  memorial  of  the  saints,  of  a  very  different  character,  was 
the  semi-sacred  play  entitled  "  The  Mystery  of  St.  Crispin  and  St. 
Crispinian,"  which  used  to  be  performed  on  St  Crispin's  Day  by  the 
Guilds  or  Brotlierhoods  of  Shoemakers  in  Paris  and  elsewhere. 

-  "  Biographic  Universelle."     Paris,  iSil. 

»  Ibid. 

*  "  Nouveau  Dictionuaire  Historique,"  torn.  ii. 


2  50  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

full  of  the  most  curious  and  out-of-the-way  learning 
and  singular  notions  ;  for,  not  content  with  describing 
the  various  kinds  of  shoes  worn  by  Eoman  and  Greek 
and  other  ancient  peoples  who  have  flourished  within 
the  historic  period,  the  enthusiastic  and  daring  scholar 
pushes  his  inquiry  back  to  the  days  "  when  Adam 
delved  and  Eve  span,"  until,  at  length,  he  discovers 
the  origin  of  the  foot-coverinir  in  the  communication 
of  the  secret  by  the  Almighty  Himself  to  "  the  first 
man,  Adam  ! "  Spite  of  its  preposterous  speculations, 
the  work  of  the  ex-shoemaker  of  Amiens  is  learned  and 
valuable,  contains  a  vast  amount  of  curious  lore  in 
regard  to  a  not  unimportant  subject,  and  helps  to 
confirm  his  claim  to  the  ambitious  title  of  "the  learned 
Baudouin."  The  first  edition  of  this  work  seems  to 
have  been  published  in  Paris,  1615.^  It  was  after- 
wards issued  at  Amsterdam,  1667,  and  at  Leyden, 
171 1,  and  Leipsic,  1733,  in  Latin.  A  writer  in  the 
"  Biographic  Universelle  "  says  that  Baudouin  held  at 
one  time  the  office  of  director  of  the  Hotcl-Dieu  at 
Troyes.  This  illustrious  French  shoemaker  died  and 
was  buried  in  that  town  in  1632. 


HENRY  MICHAEL  BUCH—''  GOOD  HENRY:' 

Whether  the  story  of  the  shoemaker-saints  of  Sois- 
sons  be  regarded  as  apocryphal  or  not,  it  has  un- 
doubtedly had  considerable  influence  for  good,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  over  the  minds  of  those  who  call 
themselves  sons  of  Crispin,      Much  of  this  has  been 

1  "Nouvelle  Biographie  Generale.'!     Paris,  1853,  torn.  iv.  p.  786. 


HENRY  MICHAEL  BUCH.  251 

due  to  the  character  and  work  of  a  man  who  was 
evidently  inspired  by  the  story  of  St.  Crispin.  Through 
the  agency  of  this  man  a  very  important  movement 
was  begun  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
which  ultimately  issued  in  a  widespread  religious  and 
social  reform  among  the  shoemakers  and  other  opera- 
tives of  Western  Europe.  "We  allude  to  the  founda- 
tion of  a  society  called  "  The  Pious  Confraternity  of 
Brother  Shoemakers,"  having  as  their  patrons  and 
models  the  saints  Crispin  and  Crispianus.  The  founder 
of  this  society  was  Henry  Michael  Buch,  who  was 
known  throughout  Paris,  in  his  day  and  long  after,  as 
Good  Henry. 

Henry  Michael  Buch  came  from  the  Duchy  of 
Luxemburg,  where  he  had  been  born,  and  where  his 
parents,  who  were  day-labourers,  had  brought  him 
up  in  a  very  simple  manner.  As  a  child,  Buch  was 
remarkably  gifted  and  very  pious.  He  was  early 
apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker,  and  was  accustomed  to 
spend  his  Sundays  and  holidays  in  public  worship 
or  private  devotion.  During  his  apprenticeship  he 
began  the  work  of  reform  among  the  members  of  his 
own  craft,  for  his  young  heart  was  grieved  to  see  them 
living  in  ignorance  and  vice.  Enlisting  the  help  of  the 
more  serious  among  them  in  his  good  work,  he  endea- 
voured to  instruct  the  apprentices  of  the  town  in  the 
doctrines  of  religion,  to  draw  them  away  from  ale-houses 
and  vicious  company,  and  to  persuade  them  to  spend 
their  time  in  a  sensible  and  profitable  manner.  Taking 
the  patron  saints  of  the  trade  for  a  model,  he  cultivated 
habits  of  self-denial  and  beneficence,  went  always 
meanly  clad,  abandoned  luxuries  in  food  and  clothing, 
and  frequently  gave  away  his  own  garments  in  order 


252  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

to  clothe  some  poor  brother  shoemaker.  While  at 
Luxemburg  and  Messen,  he  lived  chiefly  on  bread  and 
water,  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  feed  the  hungry  and 
destitute. 

Having  removed  to  Paris,  his  good  deeds  soon 
attracted  the  attention  of  Gaston  John  Baptist,  Baron 
of  Eenti,  who  was  so  much  impressed  by  the  shoe- 
maker's simplicity  of  manner,  intelligence,  and  mis- 
sionary zeal,  that  he  persuaded  Buch  to  establish  in 
that  city  a  confraternity  among  the  members  of  his 
own  humble  craft  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them 
in  the  principles  and  practices  of  a  holy  life.  With  a 
view  to  strengthen  his  hands  for  such  a  task,  the 
freedom  of  the  city  was  purchased  for  him,  and  means 
were  supplied  him  for  starting  in"  business  as  a  master 
shoemaker,  "  so  that  he  might  take  apprentices  and 
journeymen  who  were  willing  to  follow  the  rules  that 
were  prescribed  them."  ^ 

Seven  men  and  youths  having  joined  him  on  these 
terms,  the  foundation  of  his  Confraternity  was  laid  in 
1645,  Good  Henry  being  appointed  the  first  superior." 

Two  years  after  this,  the  tailors  of  the  city,  who 
had  noticed  the  conduct  of  the  shoemakers,  and  had 
been  delighted  with  the  goodly  spectacle  presented  in 
their  happy  and  useful  lives,  resolved  to  follow  the 
example.  They  borrowed  a  copy  of  the  rules,  and 
started  a  similar  society  in  1647. 

These  brotherhoods,  but  notably  those  of  the  shoe- 
makers, were  spread  through  France   and  Italy,  and 

^  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the  Primitive  Fathers,  Martyrs,  and  Saints," 
1799.  P-  532. 

-  This  society  flourished  until  the  outbreak  of  the  French  Revolution, 
1 7S9,  when  it  was  suppressed. 


HENRY  MICHAEL  BUCH.  253 

were  the  means  of  doing  an  immense  amount  of  good 
among  the  members  of  the  two  crafts. 

The  rules  of  the  fraternity  founded  by  Buch  were 
assimilated  to  certain  monastic  orders.  They  enjoined 
rising  at  five  o'clock  and  meeting  for  united  prayer 
before  engaging  in  work,  prayers  offered  by  the  superior 
as  often  as  the  clock  strikes,  at  certain  hours  the 
singing  of  hymns  while  at  work,  at  other  times  silence 
and  meditation  ;  meditation  before  dinner,  the  reading 
of  SQpae  devotional  work  by  one  of  the  number  during 
meals  ;  a  retreat  for  a  few  days  in  every  year ;  assist- 
ing on  Sundays  and  holy  days  at  sermons  and  "  the 
divine  office ; "  the  visitation  of  the  poor  and  sick,  of 
hospitals  and  prisons;  self-examination,  followed  by 
prayer  together  at  night  and  retiring  to  rest  at  nine 
o'clock, 

Henry  Michael  Buch,  the  founder  of  this  remark- 
able society  with  its  offshoots  all  over  Western  Europe, 
succeeded  in  making  the  title  Sons  of  Crispin  some- 
thing more  than  a  name  in  the  case  of  thousands  of 
his  brother  workmen.  Bearing  in  mind  his  humble 
birth  and  training,  his  scanty  means,  his  social  posi- 
tion, the  unpromising  materials  he  had  to  work  with, 
it  will  be  allowed  that  the  moral  reform  he  inaugurated 
among  working  men  deserves  to  be  classed  among  the 
best  things  of  the  kind  of  w^hich  we  read  in  history, 
Buch  died  at  Paris  on  the  gih  June  1666,  and  was 
buried  in  the  churchyard  of  St.  Gervaise.^ 

^  If  this  were  a  history  of  the  craft  and  trade  of  shoemaking,  atten- 
tion might  be  called  to  the  genuinely  illustrious  shoemaker,  Nicholas 
Lestage  of  Bordeaux.  This  clever  artisan  having  made  a  remarkably 
fine  pair  of  boots,  presented  them  to  the  king,  Louis  XIV.,  on  his  visit 
to  Bordeaux,  shortly  before  his  marriage  to  the  Infanta  of  Spain.  The 
fortunate  son  of  Crispin  was  made  shoemaker  to  his  majesty,  and  rose 


254  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

rapidly  to  wealth  and  favour  at  court.  In  1663  he  presented  to  his 
royal  patron  the  famous  boot  "  without  a  seam,"  which  was  spoken  of 
as  a  miracle  of  art,"  and  of  which  it  was  declared  that  "  the  name  of  a 
boot  would  fill  the  world."  About  a  dozen  years  after  Lestage  suc- 
ceeded in  making  this  wonderful  seamless  boot,  a  small  book  of  poems 
was  written  to  commemorate  the  extraordinary  achievement.  Amongst 
other  extravagant  things  said  about  "  cette  admirable  chaussure,"  it 
was  affirmed  that  "  neither  antiquity  nor  the  sun  had  ever  seen  its 
equal,"  "that  man  was  not  its  inventor,"  and  its  "structure  was  ti'uly 
divine  I "  &c. 


(  255  ; 


GERMANY 


HANS  SACHS,  THE  NIGHTINGALE  OF  THE 
REFORM  A  TION. 

[EFORE  Good  Henry's  day  two  famous  shoe- 
makers had  appeared  iu  Germany,  whose 
names  are  now  much  better  known  than 
his  :  Han&  Sachs  the  shoemaker-poet  of  the  Eeforma- 
tion,  and  Jacob  Boehmen  the  mystic. 

Hans  Sachs  was  the  son  of  a  tailor  at  Nuremberg, 
and  was  born  November  5,  1494.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  was  put  apprentice  in  his  native  town.  His  school- 
ing had  been  but  slight,  but  he  managed  after  school- 
days were  passed  to  retain  and  add  to  the  little  he  had 
learned.  His  studies  as  an  apprentice  soon  lifted  him 
considerably  above  the  level  of  his  class.  All  his  spare 
time  was  given  to  poetry  and  music,  in  which  arts  he 
was  greatly  assisted  by  a  clever  fellow  named  Nunnen- 
beck,  a  weaver  in  the  city.  On  attainuig  his  majority, 
Sachs,  after  the  fashion  of  the  time,  travelled  as  a  work- 
man from  town  to  town  throughout  Germany,  iu  order 
to  learn  his  trade  perfectly  and  see  what  he  could  of 
the  wide  world  around  him.  In  this  expedition  he 
seems  to  have  thought  as  much  of  poetry  as  of  shoe- 
making,    for    he    never  omitted,    wherever    he    went. 


2  56  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

visiting  the  little  poetical  and  musical  societies  which 
then  existed  in  nearly  every  town  in  Germany.  These 
societies  were  formed  by  the  various  trades  guilds,  and 
their  members  were  called  meistersingers. 

On  his  return  from  this  tour,  Sachs  settled  down 
to  work  in  Nuremberg,  and  proved  himself  both  an 
expert  shoemaker  and  a  first-rate  meistersinger.  In 
fact,  he  outshone  all  his  compeers  of  the  guild  to 
which  he  belonged,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he 
earned  the  reputation  of  being  the  first  German  poet  of 
his  day.  The  Eeformation  movement,  led  by  Martin 
Luther,  was  then  in  full  vigour,  and  found  a  hearty 
sympathiser  and  vigorous  supporter  in  this  "unlettered 
cobbler  but  richly  gifted  poet,"  who  was  counted  among 
the  friends  and  admirers  of  the  great  Eeformer. 
Luther  had  few  more  valuable  supporters  in  his  work 
than  the  shoemaker  of  Nuremberg,  whose  simple,  spirit- 
stirring  songs  were  rapidly  learnt  and  readily  sung  by 
the  humbler  sorts  of  people  all  over  the  country. 

Sachs'  writings  were  very  numerous,  both  in  prose 
and  verse.  Few  poets,  indeed,  have  ventured  to  write 
and  publish  so  much.  He  averaged  more  than  a 
volume  a  year  for  over  thirty  years.  On  an  inventory 
being  made  of  his  literary  stock  in  the  year  1546, 
when  he  was  about  fifty-two  years  of  age,  it  was  found 
that  he  had  written  34  volumes,  containing  4275 
songs,  208  comedies  and  tragedies,  about  1700  merry 
tales,  and  secular  and  religious  dialogues,  and  y  2, 
other  pieces. 

His  best  writings  are  said  to  be  the  "  Schwanlce  "  or 
merry  tales,  the  humour  of  which  is  sometimes  un- 
surpassable. His  collected  works  were  published  by 
Wilier,  I  570-79,  in  five  folio  volumes. 


HANS  SACHS.  257 

Exactly  two  Lundred  years  after  Hans  Sachs'  death, 
Goethe,  who  was  a  warm  admirer  of  the  shoemaker-poet, 
published  a  poem  entitled  Sans  Sachs  Erkldrung  eines 
alien  Holzschnitts,  vorstdlencl  Hans  Sachs'  |30c?^isc/te 
Sendung :  (Explanation  of  an  old  woodcut  representing 
Hans  Sachs'  poetical  mission).  This  tribute  from  the 
pen  of  Germany's  greatest  poet  brought  the  shoemaker 
of  Nuremberg  again  into  notice,  and  put  him  in  the 
right  place  in  the  temple  of  fame.  Since  the  date  of 
Goethe's  poem,  Sachs'  works  have  been  published  in 
various  forms,  and  are  now  as  much  read  and  as 
warmly  appreciated  as  when  they  were  first  published. 
Nuremberg,  his  native  town,  is  proud  of  her  humble 
yet  illustrious  poet,  and  treasures  up  in  her  museum 
every  relic  connected  with  his  name,  MS.  copies  of  his 
writings,  poetical  fly-sheets  issued  during  his  lifetime, 
or  early  editions  of  his  works.  In  the  libraries  of 
Zwickau,  Dresden,  and  Leipsic  similar  relics  of  the 
poet  may  be  seen. 

No  testimony  to  his  merit  could  be  higher  than  that 
of  Goethe,  the  prince  of  German  critics  in  literature. 
It  may  be  of  value,  however,  in  addition  to  this,  to  give 
the  opinion  of  two  very  different  men  respecting  Sachs, 
Dr.  Hagenbach  in  his  "  History  of  the  Eeformation" 
says :  "  A  happy  union  of  wholesome  humour  and 
moral  purity  meets  us  in  Hans  Sachs  of  Nuremberg ;" 
and  Thomas  Carlyle,  in  his  own  style,  which  happily 
is  "  inimitable,"  speaks  of  him  as  a  "  gay,  childlike, 
devout,  solid  character — a  man  neither  to  be  despised 
nor  patronised,  but  left  standing  on  his  own  basis  as  a 
singular  product,  and  legible  symbol,  and  clear  mirror 
of  the  time  and  country  where  he  lived." 

He  died  on  the  2  5  th  of  January  1576,  at  the  age 

K 


258  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

of  eighty-two,  in  full  mental  vigour.  He  was  busy 
writing  verses  and  tales  almost  to  the  last  days  of  his 
life.  His  grave  is  still  shown  in  the  churchyard  of 
St.  John's,  Nuremberg. 


JACOB  BO  EH  MEN,  THE  MYSTIC. 

Jacob  Boehmen,  or  Boehme,  was  born  at  the  village 
of  Altseidenberg,  near  Gorlitz,  in  Prussian  Silesia, 
about  a  year  before  the  death  of  Hans  Sachs.  A 
shoemaker  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  Boehmen 
devoted  the  powers  of  a  remarkable  mind  to  philoso- 
phical and  religious  speculation,  and  produced  works 
which,  notwithstanding  their  mystical  and  well-nigh 
unintelligible  character,  are  declared  by  some  of  the 
best  authorities  in  Germany  and  England  to  have  laid 
the  foundation  of  metaphysics  and  philosophy.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  a  true  idea  of  the  writings  of  this 
extraordinary  man  except  by  a  complete  review  of  his 
philosophy  and  its  influence  on  German  philosophical 
writers.  The  most  contradictory  opinions  have  been 
expressed  in  regard  to  the  value  of  his  productions. 
By  some  critics  he  is  set  down  as  a  rhapsodist  who 
wrote  nothing  but  mystical  jargon,  and  by  others  as 
a  profound  philosopher  whose  thoughts  and  dreams 
are  full  of  inspiration.  Mosheim,  e.g.,  says :  "  It  is 
impossible  to  find  greater  obscurity  than  there  is  in 
these  pitiable  writings,  which  exhibit  an  incongruous 
mixture  of  chemical  terms,  mystical  jargon,  and  absurd 
visions."  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  curious  to  read  the 
opinion  expressed  by  our  own  King  Charles  L,  who 


JACOB  BOEHMEN.  259 

of  all  the  Stuarts,  not  excepting  his  own  father,  James 
I.,  that  "  so  learned  and  judicious  a  prince,"  was  most 
capable  of  being  a  judge  in  such  matters.  Charles  is 
reported  to  have  said  of  the  writings  of  the  shoemaker 
of  Gorlitz :  "  Had  they  been  the  productions  of  a 
scholar  and  a  man  of  learning,  they  would  have  been 
truly  wonderful;  but  if,  as  he  heard,  they  were  the 
productions  of  a  poor  shoemaker,  they  furnished  a 
proof  that  the  Holy  Ghost  had  still  a  habitation  in 
the  ^ouls  of  men." 

Sir  Isaac  Newton  was  a  student  of  Boehmen,  whose 
dissertation  on  "  The  Three  Principles  "  is  said  to  have 
furnished  hints  to  the  philosopher  which  put  him  on 
the  track  of  some  of  his  great  discoveries ;  and  Blake, 
the  half-mad,  half-inspired  j^oet,  painter,  and  engraver, 
frequently  spoke  of  him  as  a  divinely  inspired  man. 
Before  Blake's  day  the  writings  of  Boehmen  had  been 
translated  by  William  Law,  author  of  "  The  Serious 
Call,"  and  published  by  Ward  &  Co.  in  two  quarto 
volumes  (1762-84).  Law's  writings  had  immense 
influence  over  the  minds  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 
and  their  followers,  the  Methodists.  Law,  who  was  no 
mean  judge  of  the  worth  of  Boehmen's  writings,  held 
them  in  high  esteem. 

But  of  more  value  than  these  opinions  is  the 
estimate  formed  by  philosophers  themselves  as  to  the 
works  of  this  great  mystic.  Spinoza  frequently  studied 
them,  and  acknowledged  their  influence  on  his  own 
mind.  Schelling,  the  idealist  philosopher,  bears  testi- 
mony to  Boehmen's  great  merits  as  a  thinker.  Hegel 
speaks  of  him  as  the  "  Teutonic  philosopher,"  and 
adds,  "  In  reality,  through  him,  for  the  first  time,  did 
philosophy  in  Germany  come  forward  with  a  charac- 


26o  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

teristic  stamp."  S.  T.  Coleridge  in  his  "  Literary 
Eemains  "  ^  says  :  "  I  have  ofteu  thought  of  writing  a 
book  to  be  entitled  '  A  Vindication  of  Great  Men 
Unjustly  Branded,'  and  at  such  times  the  names  pro- 
minent to  my  mind's  eye  have  been  Giordano  Bruno, 
Jacob  Boehmen,  Benedict  Spinoza,  and  Emanuel 
Swedenborg."  In  the  library  of  Manchester  New 
College,  London,  is  a  copy  of  the  works  of  Spinoza 
with  marginal  notes  written  by  Coleridge,^  and  among 
them  is  the  following  note  to  Epistle  xxxvi.  :  "  The 
truth  is,  Spinoza,  in  common  with  all  metaphysicians 
before  him  (Boehme  perhaps  excepted),  began  at  the 
wrong  end,"  &c.,  &c.  Coleridge  frequently  spoke  of 
Boehmen  in  the  warmest  terms  of  admiration. 

At  a  very  early  age  Jacob  Boehmen  showed  a  dis- 
position to  pious  meditation  and  fancied  himself 
inspired.  He  was  poorly  educated  as  a  youth,  and 
nearly  all  his  knowledge  was  self-acquired.  His  first 
work  was  published  when  he  was  thirty-seven  years 
of  age,  and  was  entitled  "Aurora,"  or  the  moryiing 
datvn.  He  was  severely  attacked  by  the  religious 
leaders  of  his  day,  but  the  court  at  Dresden  patronised 
and  protected  him.  His  death  took  place  November 
27,  1624.  His  works  have  been  frequently  published 
in  Germany,  Holland,  and  England,  where  they  are 
much  more  warmly  appreciated  now  than  they  were 
in  his  own  lifetime. 

^  Vol.  iv.  p.  423. 

-  This  book  once  belonged  to  Henry  Crabb  Robinson  :  see  H.  C. 
Il.'s  Diary,  &c.,  vol.  i.  pp.  400,  401,  for  the  above  quotation. 


(      26l      ) 


ITALY. 


<?ABRIEL  CAPPELLINI,  IL  CALIGARINO, 
OR  THE  LITTLE  SHOEMAKER. 

F  it  be  characteristic  of  Germany  that  one  of 
her  illustrious  shoemakers  should  be  a  jpod 
and  another  a  philosoplicr,  it  is  no  less 
characteristic  of  Italy  and  Holland  that  several  fol- 
lowers of  the  gentle  craft  in  these  countries  should  have 
distinguished  themselves  as  painters.  We  take  three 
examples  from  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries. 
Gabriel  Cappellini  of  Ferrara  in  Italy  was  more 
generally  known  by  the  appellation  //  Caliijarino,  or 
the  little,  shoemaker,  a  name  derived  from  his  original 
occupation.  He  is  said  to  have  been  led  to  throw 
down  the  awl  and  take  to  the  brush  in  consequence  of 
a  compliment  paid  to  him  one  day  by  one  of  the 
great  family  of  painters  called  Dossi,  who  told  the 
shoemaker  that  a  pair  of  shoes  he  had  just  made  were 
so  elegant  that  they  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
painted.  He  became  a  scholar  of  Dossi,  and  made  a 
fair  name  as  an  artist  in  the  sixteenth  century.  He  is 
praised  by  Barotti  for  "  the  boldness  of  his  design  and 
the  sobriety  of  his  colour."  Several  of  his  paintings 
may  now  be  seen  in  the  city  of  Ferrara,  the  best  of 


-62  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

wliicli  is  in  the  Churcli  of  St.  Giovannino.  This  is  an 
altar-piece  representing  the  Virgin  and  Child  with 
infant  saints  attending  upon  them.  In  the  Church 
of  St.  Francesco  is  a  painting  of  SS.  John  and  James. 
There  is  also  an  altar-piece  ascribed  to  him  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Alesandro  at  Bergamo,  representing  the 
Last  Supper.  A  small  painting  of  the  same  subject 
is  in  the  possession  of  Count  Carrara.^ 


FRANCESCO  BRIZZIO,  THE  ARTIST. 

Feancesco  Bkizzio  (or  Briccio)  was  the  most  eminent 
of  the  three  painters  we  have  to  name  who  began  life 
as  shoemakers.  He  was  born  at  Bologna  in  i574- 
Up  to  the  age  of  twenty  he  worked  as  a  shoemaker, 
and  then,  being  free  to  follow  his  bent,  became  at  first 
a  pupil  of  Passerotti,  who  taught  him  design,  after- 
wards of  Agostini,  who  initiated  him  in  the  engraver's 
art,  and  finally  of  Lodovico  Caracci,  under  whom  he 
became  so  proficient  that  "  by  some  he  has  been  pro- 
nounced the  most  eminent  disciple  of  Caracci ; "  and 
it  has  been  affirmed  of  this  son  of  Crispin  that  of  all 
Caracci's  pupils  except  Domenichino  he  was  gifted 
with  the  most  universal  genius.  In  perspective,  land- 
scape, architecture,  and  figures,  a  competent  critic, 
Andrea  Sacchi,  the  famous  Eoman  artist,  says,  "  Brizzio 
surpassed  all  his  rivals."  Guido  speaks  highly  of  the 
V)eauty  of  his  cherubs.  His  extant  paintings  are  an 
altar-piece  entitled  "  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin," 

1  Lanzi's  "  History  of  Painting."     London  :  Bohn,  vol.  iii.  p.  200  ; 
and  Bryan's  "Dictionary  of  Painters."     London  :  Bohn,  p.  138. 


FRANCESCO  BRIZZIO.  263 

which  is  very  rich  in  colouring,  and  the  "  Table  of 
Cebes,"  a  grand  painting  executed  for  the  Angellili 
family.  Numerous  engravings  of  his  are  known  to 
connoisseurs,  and  highly  prized  as  the  work  of  an  artist 
"  who  often  approaches  Guido."  "  His  pictures  were 
not  only  admired  for  the  truth  of  the  perspective  and 
the  beauty  of  his  colouring,  but  also  for  the  grandeur 
of  his  ideas,  the  majestic  style  of  the  architecture,  the 
elegance  of  the  ornaments,  and  the  noble  taste  of  the 
landscapes  which  he  introduced  to  set  off  his  build- 
ings."    Brizzio   died    in    1623    at   the   age   of  forty- 


^  Lanzi's  "  History  of  Painting."  London:  Bohn,  vol.  iii.  p.  126. 
Bryan's  "Dictionary  of  Painters."  London:  Bohn^  p.  1 14;  and 
Pilkington's  "  Dictionary  of  Painters,"  p.  95  {1770  ed.) 


(    264    ) 


HOLLAND. 


LUDOLPH  DE  JONG,  THE  DUTCH 
FOR  TRAIT-PAINTER. 

ISUDOLPH  DE  JONG  was  the  son  of  a  shoe- 
maker at  Oberschie,  a  village  near  Eotter- 
dam,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1616.  His 
father  intended  to  bring  his  son  up  to  his  own  humble 
trade,  but  having  been  treated  with  great  severity, 
Ludolph  ran  away  from  home  and  bade  good-bye 
to  the  cobbler's  stall,  and  became  soon  afterwards  a 
pupil  of  Sacht  Coen.  After  two  years  spent  with 
this  master,  he  also  studied  under  Palamedes  at  Delft 
and  Baylaert  at  Utrecht.  Seven  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  France,  where  he  gained  renown  as  a  portrait- 
painter,  in  which  branch  of  art  he  showed  his  best 
hand.  From  France  he  returned  to  Holland  and 
settled  at  Eotterdam,  where  his  skill  and  fame  gained 
him  much  patronage  and  a  handsome  fortune.  His 
best  work  is  at  Ptotterdam  in  the  Ealle,  des  Princes, 
and  consists  of  portraits  of  officers  belonging  to  the 
Company  of  Burghers. 

De  Jong  the  younger,  the  clever  etcher  of  battle- 
scenes,  who  signs  himself  IMDI  (Jan  Martss  de  Jong), 
is  generally  thought  to  be  the  son  of  the  well-known 
painter.^ 

1  Sons  of  shoemakers  have  often  become  famous.     See  the  list  given 
below,  which  might  be  greatly  extended. 


SONS  OF  SHOEMAKERS.  265 


SONS     OF    SHOEMAKEES. 

Before  leaving  the  continent  of  Europe  to  come  to  Great  Britain 
for  examples,  we  may  here  mention  one  or  two  instances  in  which 
boys  who  have  been  brought  up  amid  the  humble  surroundings 
of  tlie  shoemaker's  home  have  become  illustrious  in  the  field  of 
literature,  or  science,  or  theology. 

Pope  John  XXIL  (13 16-1334),  whose  popedom  was  distin- 
guished by  the  existence  of  an  anti-pope,  was  the  son  of  a  shoe- 
maker living  at  Cahors  in  France. 

J-mn  Baptiste  Rousseau  (i  670-1 741),  the  French  poet,  author  of 
"Le  Cafe,"  "Jason,"  "  Adonais,"  « Le  Flatteur,"  &c.,  was  the 
son  of  a  well-to-do  shoemaker  in  Paris.  The  poet  was  always 
rather  ashamed  of  his  origin,  and  on  one  occasion  treated  his  father 
in  the  most  heartless  manner  because  he  stepped  forward  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  first  performance  of  a  play  to  oifer  his  warm 
congratulations  to  his  clever  and  popular  son.  "  I  know  you 
not,"  said  the  proud  poet,  waiving  his  father  off.  The  poor  fellow 
retired  in  bitter  grief  and  uncontrollable  anger. 

Johan  Joachim  WincHemann,  the  eminent  art-critic  and  writer, 
was  the  son  of  a  humble  member  of  the  craft,  who  lived  at 
Stendal  in  Prussia.  His  father  gave  him  as  good  an  education 
as  lay  within  his  reach,  and  was  rewarded  by  the  progress  his 
son  made  in  the  study  of  languages.  From  the  position  of  teacher 
of  languages  in  the  College  of  Seehausen  he  passed  on  to  that  of 
librarian  to  Count  Bunan,  and  finally  to  the  curatorship  of  the 
Vatican  Museum  at  Rome,  where  lie  published  his  famous  works, 
"  Ancient  Statues,"  "  Taste  of  the  Greek  Artists,"  "  History  of 
Art,"  and  "  Antique  Monuments."  He  died  by  the  hand  of  an 
assassin  at  Trieste,  1768,  aged  fifty-two. 

JIa7is  Christian  Andersen  was  born  1805  at  Adense  in  Denmark, 
where  his  father  worked  as  a  shoemaker.  While  a  mere  boy  he 
went  to  Copenhagen  in  the  hope  of  getting  his  living  as  a  singer 
and  writer  of  plays,  and  eventually  became  known  as  the  writer 
of  incomparable  fairy  tales,  the  joy  and  wonder  of  children, 
young  and  old,  all  over  the  world. 

The  name  of  Dr.  Isaac  Watts,  the  hymnist,  has  sometimes  been 
set  down  in  this  category,  on  the  authority  of  a  line  in  Dr. 
Johnson's  "  Lives  of  the  Poets."     But  Johnson  speaks  only  of 


266  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

"  common  report"  making  the  father  of  Isaac  "Watts  a  shoemaker. 
Johnson  says  he  "  kept  a  boarding-school  for  young  gentlemen." 
He  may  have  done  so  and  followed  the  gentle  craft  as  well ;  there 
is  no  knowing  to  what  occupation  the  shoemaker  may  aspire  ! 

If  we  go  far  enough  back,  we  may  find  a  very  striking  example 
of  ability  displayed  by  a  shoemaker's  son  in  military  affairs. 
Iplticrates  (4th  cent.  B.C.),  one  of  the  most  capable  and  trusted 
Athenian  generals,  rose  from  this  humble  position  to  the  highest 
offices  of  command  and  trust  in  the  armies  of  Greece.  His  reforms 
in  the  arms,  dresa,  and  tactics  of  the  soldiers,  formed  an  "epoch 
in  the  Grecian  art  of  war."  He  distinguished  himself  in  battles 
fought  against  the  Thracians  and  Spartans,  and  in  the  service  of 
the  King  of  Persia  in  his  Egyptian  campaign. 


GREAT  BRITAIN. 


GEEAT  BPJTAIK 


"  YE  COCKE  OF  WESTMINSTER." 

[OMIISTG  now  to  Great  Britain,  we  are  able  to 
select  from  the  records  of  history  and  bio- 
graphy ilhistrations  for  our  purpose  which 
represent    pretty   nearly  all  the  varieties  of   English 
life.      Practical  philanthropy  all  men  will  allow  to  be 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  honourable  features 
of  the  national  character,  and  to  this  shoemakers  have 
contributed  a  good  share.     Our  readers  will  remember 
the  good  work  done  by  Drs.   Carey  and  Morrison,  the 
pioneer   missionaries  to  India  and  China,  and  noble 
old    John    Pounds,    one    of    the    founders    of  ragged 
schools  in  this  country.      Two  examples,  in  a  different 
field,  may  be  given  here.      One  can  easily  understand 
how  shoemaking  would  pay  better  before  the  inven- 
tion   of   machinery  than  it  does  now,  yet  it  appears 
strange  to  us  to  read  of  men  making  anything  like  a 
fortune   by  so  humble  a  craft.     So  it  was,  however, 
after  a  certain  modest  fashion  ;   and  shoemakers,  like 
men  whose  fortune  has   been  made  on  a  larger  scale, 
have  shown  themselves    veritable    philanthropists  in 
the  use  they  have  made  of  their  money.     The  two 
instances  we  refer  to  are  wide  apart  as  to  time,  but 
closely  related  as  regards  the  benevolent  spirit  they 
exhibit.       Holinshed    has    very    properly   thought    it 


270  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

wortli  his  while  to  chronicle  the  good  deed  of  a 
benevolent  old  shoemaker  who  lived  in  Westminster 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  This  true  son  and 
follower  of  Crispin  bore  the  name  of  Richard  Castcll, 
but  was  still  better  known,  in  his  own  day,  by  the 
sobriquet,  Ye  Codec  of  Westminster,  not  only  "  because 
he  was  so  famous  with  the  faculty  of  his  hands,"  but 
on  account  of  his  early  rising ;  for  every  morning,  all 
the  year  round,  saw  him  sitting  down  to  his  work  "  at 
four  of  the  clock."  His  skill  and  diligence  in  the 
craft  brought  him  in  a  considerable  sum  of  money, 
which  he  invested  in  lands  and  tenements  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Westminster,  yielding  a  yearly 
rental  of  ^^42, — not  at  all  a  poor  living  for  a  retired 
shoemaker  three  hundred  years  ago.  It  appears  that 
Castell  greatly  admired  the  generosity  of  his  monarch, 
Edward  VI.,  who  had  recently  endowed  Christ's  Hos- 
pital, and  the  shoemaker  having  no  family  to  whom 
he  could  bequeath  his  property,  and  being  blessed, 
moreover,  with  a  wife  as  generously  disposed  as 
himself,  resolved  to  leave  his  property  to  the  en- 
dowment fund  of  this  public  charity.  It  is  much 
more  than  probable  that  the  fame  of  the  kingly 
founder  of  the  hospital  has  totally  eclipsed  that  of  his 
humble  subject,  and  for  this  reason  it  seems  right 
for  us  to  find  a  place  in  our  list  of  illustrious 
shoemakers  for  a  worthy  man  whose  industry  and 
benevolence  are  bearing  good  fruit  to  this  day,  and 
who  once,  it  may  be,  was  not  a  little  proud  of  the 
honourable  nickname  of  Ye  Cocke  of  Westminster} 

^  For  this  and  one  or  two  other  examples  of  noted  shoemakers  the 
writer  is  indebted  to  a  series  of  most  interesting  articles  entitled  "  Con- 
cerning Shoes  and  Shoemakers,"  in  the  Leisure  Hour,  1S76. 


TIMOTHY  BENNETT.  271 


TIMOTHY  BENNETT,  THE  HERO  OF 
HAMPTON-  WICK. 

It  would  be  hard  to  fiud  a  name  more  worthy  of 
being  enrolled  in  our  list  than  that  of  the  public- 
spirited  and  courageous  shoemaker  of  Hampton  Wick 
in  Surrey  named  Timothy  Bennett^  who,  early  in  the 
last  century,  undertook,  at  his  own  cost,  to  rescue 
a  right  of  road  from  loss  to  the  public.  This  road 
ran  from  Hampton  -  Wick  to  Kingston-upon-Thames 
through  the  well-known  Bushy  Park,  belonging  to  the 
Crown.  Bennett  was  grieved  to  see  the  right  of 
way  infringed  by  the  Crown  authorities,  and  to  observe 
the  consequent  inconvenience  to  thousands  of  his 
neighbours.  He  determined,  therefore,  to  go  to  law 
about  the  matter,  and,  if  possible,  put  a  stop  to  the 
high-handed  and  unjust  proceedings  of  the  "  Hanger  of 
the  Park."  He  went  to  a  lawyer  and  inquired  as  to 
the  probable  chances  of  success  in  his  project,  and  as 
to  the  cost,  saying,  "  I  have  seven  hundred  poiinds 
which  I  would  be  willing  to  bestow  upon  this  attempt. 
It  is  all  I  have,  and  has  been  saved  through  a  long 
course  of  honest  industry."  Satisfied  on  both  points, 
he  resolved  to  carry  out  his  plan.  Lord  Halifax  was 
then  Eanger  of  Bushy  Park,  and  having  heard  of 
Bennett's  intentions,  sent  for  him.  "  Who  are  you, 
sir,"  demanded  my  Lord,  "  that  have  the  assurance  to 
meddle    in    this    affair?"     "My    name,   my   Lord,   is 

^  Born  1676  ;  died  1756.  Bennett  is  placed  out  of  his  chronological 
order  because  it  seems  most  fitting  that  he  should  follow  the  benevolent 
Castell. 


272  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Timothy  Bennett,  shoemaker,  of  Hampton-Wick.  I 
remember,  an't  please  your  Lordship,  when  I  was  a 
young  man,  of  seeing,  while  sitting  at  my  work,  the 
people  cheerfully  pass  by  to  Kingston  market ;  but 
now,  my  lord,  they  are  forced  to  go  round  about, 
through  a  hot  sandy  road,  ready  to  faint  beneath 
their  burdens,  and  I  am  unwilling"  (using  a  phrase 
he  was  very  fond  of)  "to  leave  the  world  worse  than 
I  found  it.  This,  my  Lord,  I  humbly  represent,  is  the 
reason  of  my  conduct."  "  Be  gone  !  You  are  an  imper- 
tinent fellow  !  "  said  the  Eanger  of  Bushy  Park.  After 
thinking  the  matter  over  in  a  calmer  mood.  Lord 
Halifax  saw  the  equity  of  the  shoemaker's  claim,  and 
the  certainty  of  his  own  failure  to  justify  his  conduct, 
and  gave  up  his  opposition.  The  road  was  opened, 
and  remains  open  to  this  day,  and  is  used  not  only  by 
those  who  pass  on  business  between  Hampton  and 
Kingston,  but  by  thousands  of  pleasure-seekers  from 
the  busy  and  smoke-laden  metropolis,  who  run  down 
by  rail  in  the  spring  and  summer  to  enjoy  the  sight  of 
one  of  the  finest  avenues  of  chestnut-trees  in  the 
world,  or  to  breathe  the  sweet  country  air,  and  rest 
beneath  the  refreshing  shade  of  the  trees  of  the  park. 
The  good  people  who  make  constant  use  of  the  road, 
which  the  worthy  shoemaker  has  secured  to  them 
and  their  descendants  for  ever,  can  hardly  be  igno- 
rant of  the  story  of  Lord  Halifax  the  Nobleman  non- 
suited by  Timothy  Bennett  the  Shoemaker  ;  yet  the 
stranger  who  goes  down  to  the  Park  in  May  to  see 

"The  chestnuts  with  their  milky  cones," 

will  probably  never  have  heard  of  this 


TIMOTHY  BENNETT.  273 

"  Village  Hampden,  tliat  with  dauntless  breast 
The  little  tyrant  of  his  fields  withstood." 

Bennett  died  an  old  man  in  1756,  having  had  his 
wish,  at  least,  to  leave  the  world  no  worse  than  he 
found  it.  Assuredly  many  who  have  more  fame  have 
done  less  to  merit  it. 


(     274    ) 


MILITAEY  AND  NAVAL  HEEOES. 


"  THE  S OUTERS  OF  SELKIRK." 

HE    old  Border  song,  sung  at  public  dinners 
"  when  Selkirk  folks  began  to  be  merry  " — 

"  Up  \vi'  tlie  souters  of  Selkirk, 

And  down  \vi'  the  Earl  of  Home  ; 
And  lip  wi'  a'  the  braw  lads 
That  sew  the  single  shoon. 

"  Fye  upon  yellow  and  yellow, 

And  fye  upon  yellow  and  green, 
And  up  wi'  the  true  blue  and  scarlet, 
And  up  wi'  the  single-soled  sheen. 

"  Up  wi'  the  souters  o'  Selkirk, 

For  they  are  baith  trusty  and  leal ; 
And  up  wi'  the  Men  o'  the  Forest,^ 
And  down  wi'  tlie  Merse^  to  the  deil," 

has  made  the  "  Souters  of  Selkirk  "  famous  throughout 
Scotland.  The  origin  of  the  song  seems  to  be  lost. 
Whether  it  has  reference,  as  the  common  tradition  in 
Selkirk  goes,  to  the  part  which  a  gallant  band  of  Sel- 
kirk men  played  at  the  battle  of  Flodden  Field,  i  5  i  3, 
"  when  the  flower  of  the  Scottish  nobility  fell  around 

^  Selkirkshire,  otherwise  called  Ettrick  Forest. 
^  Berwickshire,  otherwise  called  the  Merse. 


''THE  SOUTERS  OF  SELKIRK."  275 

their  sovereign,  James  IV.,"  whicli  Sir  Walter  Scott 
and  Mr.  Plummer  assert,^  or  to  "  a  bet  between  the 
Philiphangh  and  Home  families  "  on  a  match  of  foot- 
ball "  between  the  souters  (or  shoemakers)  of  Selkirk 
against  the  men  of  Home,"  as  Mr.  Robertson  in  his 
"  Essay  on  Scottish  Song "  declares,  it  is  not  easy  to 
determine.  At  any  rate,  whether  the  song  point  to 
the  historical  event  or  not,  the  event  itself  is  beyond 
dispute.  Selkirk  did  certainly  send  a  brave  band  of 
eighty  or  a  hundred  men  to  Plodden  Field  to  support 
the  cause  of  James.  No  dou1)t  a  large  proportion  of 
these  men  M"ere  veritable  souters,  for  the  chief  trade  of 
the  town  in  the  sixteenth  century  was  the  making  of 
"  a  sort  of  brogues  with  a  sinule  thin  sole."  This  local 
manufacture  seems  to  have  given  a  name  to  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  burgh,  who  were  called  souters,  pretty 
much  as  natives  of  Shejffield  might  be  called  blades,  or 
Birmingham  folk  huttons.  The  people  of  Selkirk  are 
not  ashamed  of  the  designation,  but  rather  glory  in 
perpetuating  the  name  and  the  tradition  on  which  it 
rests.  "  A  singular  custom,"  we  are  told,  is  observed 
at  conferring  the  freedom  of  the  burgh.  Four  or  five 
bristles,  such  as  are  used  by  shoemakers,  are  attached 
to  the  seal  of  the  burgess  ticket.  These  the  new-made 
burgess  must  dip  in  his  wine  and  pass  through  his 
mouth,  in  token  of  respect  for  the  Souters  of  Selkirk. 
This  ceremony  is  on  no  account  dispensed  with." 

^  See  "  Border  Minstrelsj'." 

-  Scott's  "Border  Minstrelsy,"  footnote.. 


276  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 


WATT  TINLINN. 

That  the  souters  of  that  time  knew  how  to  fight  and 
will  renown  by  their  valour  and  skill  may  be  gathered 
from  the  story  which  the  author  of  "  The  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel "  tells  us  anent  the  reference  to  Watt  of 
Liddelside  in  the  fourth  canto  of  the  "  Lay  " — 

"  Now  loud  the  heedful  gateward  cried, 
'  Prepare  ye  all  for  blows  and  blood  ! 

Watt  Tinliuii  from  the  Liddelside ; 
Comes  wading  through  the  flood. 

Full  oft  the  Tynedale  snatchers  knock 

At  his  lone  gate  and  prove  the  lock  ; 

It  was  but  last  St.  Barnabright 

Tliey  sieged  him  a  whole  summer  night, 

But  fled  at  morning  ;  well  they  knew 

In  vain  he  never  twanged  the  yew.' " 

This  Watt  was  a  shoemaker  and  a  soldier,  and  if 
he  had  no  large  field  for  the  display  of  his  skill  and 
valour  in  the  Border  skirmishes  of  his  time,  he  never- 
theless deserves  a  place  among  his  more  illustrious 
brethren  of  the  craft,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  the  fol- 
lowing note  respecting  him.  "  This  person  was  in  my 
younger  days,"  says  Sir  Walter  Scott/  "  the  theme  of 
many  a  fireside  tale.  He  was  a  retainer  of  the  Buc- 
cleuch  family,  and  held  for  his  Border  service  a  small 
tower  on  the  frontiers  of  Liddesdale.  Watt  was  by 
profession  a  sutor,  but  by  inclination  and  practice  an 
archer  and  warrior.  Upon  one  occasion,  the  captain 
of  Bewcastle,  military  governor  of  that  wild  district  of 
Cumberland,  is  said  to  have  made  an  incursion  into 
Scotland,  in  which  he  was  defeated  and  forced  to  fly. 

1  Note  IV.  to  Canto  lY.,  "  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel." 


COLONEL  HEWSON.  277 

Watt  Tinlinn  pursued  liim  closely  through  a  dangerous 
morass ;  the  captain,  however,  gained  the  firm  ground, 
and  seeinsj  Tinlinn  dismounted  and  floundering  in  the 
bog,  used  these  words  of  insult,  "  Sutor  Watt,  ye  cannot 
sew  your  boots ;  the  heels  risp  and  the  seams  rive."  ^ 
"  If  I  cannot  sew,"  retorted  Tinlinn,  discharging  a 
shaft  which  nailed  the  captain's  thigh  to  his  saddle, 
— "  if  I  cannot  sew  I  can  yerk."  ^ 


COLONEL  HEWSON,  THE  '' CERDON"  OF 
"  HUDLBRASr 

In  the  turbulent  days  of  the  Stuarts  and  the  Com- 
monwealth, when  the  lofty  were  laid  low  and  the  lowly 
were  set  in  high  places,  it  can  hardly  be  matter  of 
surprise  that  the  shoemaker  should  have  had  his  share 
of  the  favours  of  fortune.  The  circumstances  of  the 
time  had  led  to  the  adoption  of  the  rational  rule  of 
granting  promotion  by  merit.  In  an  army  commanded 
by  Cromwell  it  is  not  likely  that  any  other  rule  would 
be  adopted.  His  two  chief  requirements  were  military 
capacity  and  moral  character.  With  men  of  this  class 
he  made  up  his  invincible  Ironsides.  One  of  his  colo- 
nels was  John  Hewson.  "  This  man,"  Grainger  says,^ 
"  once  wore  a  leather  apron,  and  from  a  mender  of  old 
shoes  became  a  reformer  of  government  and  religion. 
He  was,  allowing  for  his  education,  a  very  extraordi- 

^  Risp  and  rive,  creak  and  tear. 

"  To  twitch  the  thread  as  shoemakers  do  in  securing  the  stitches. 

^  "  Biographical  History  of  England,"'  vol.  iii. 


278  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

raiy  person.  His  beliavionr  in  the  army  soon  raised 
him  to  the  ranlc  of  a  colonel ;  and  Cromwell  had  so 
great  an  opinion  of  him  as  to  intrust  him  with  the 
fTOvernment  of  the  city  of  Dublin,  whence  he  was  called 
to  be  a  member  of  Bareboues'  ^  parliament.  He  was 
a  frequent  speaker  in  that  and  the  other  parliament 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  was  at  length  thought 
a  fit  person  to  be  a  lord  of  the  upper  house.  He  was 
one  of  the  committee  of  safety,  and  was,  with  several 
of  his  brethren,  very  intent  upon  a  new  model  of  the 
republic  at  the  eve  of  the  Eestoration."  Eugge,  in  his 
"Diurnal,"  5th  December  1659,  says  that  Hewson  "was 
a  very  stout  man,  and  a  very  good  commander;"  and 
adds,  "  But  in  regard  of  his  former  employment,  they 
(the  city  apprentices)  threw  at  him  old  shoes  and  slip- 
pers, and  turnip-tops  and  brickbats,  stones  and  tiles." 
He  was  the  object  of  no  end  of  lampooning  on  the  part 
of  the  Eoyalists.  Pepys,  in  his  "  Diary,"  25  th  January 
1659-60,  has  an  interesting  memorandum  in  regard 
to  the  notoriety  of  the  cobbler-colonel :  "  Coming  home, 
heard  that  in  Cheapside  there  had  been  but  a  little 
before  a  gibbet  set  up,  and  a  picture  of  Huson  (Hew- 
son) hung  upon  it,  in  the  middle  of  the  street."  ^  One 
of  these  squibs  bore  the  title,  "  Colonel  Hewson's 
Confession ;  or,  a  Parley  with  Pluto,"  and  referred  to 
his  removal  of  the  gates  of  Temple  Bar.      Lord  Bray- 

1  The  author  of  "Crispin  Anecdotes,"  p.  127,  says,  "Praise-God 
Barebones  was  a  shoemaker,  but  from  all  the  writer  can  learn  he  was 
a  leather-seller  ;  and  Bloomfield  is  reported  as  saying  that  Secretary 
Craggs  was  a  chip  of  leather.  On  what  authority  it  is  hard  to  say.  His 
father,  the  postmaster-general,  is  more  likely  to  have  been  in  such  a 
position ;  huthis  trade  was  that  of  a  country  barber." — Grainger,  Noble's 
continuation,  vol.  iii. 

-  Pepys'  Diary,  note,  January  25,  1659-60. 


COLONEL  HEW  SON.  279 

brooke  informs  us  that  Hewson  "  had  but  one  eye, 
which  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  his  enemies."  Nor 
did  the  burly  cobbler-colonel  escape  the  notice  of  Dr. 
Butler,  who  makes  him  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  first 
part  of  "  Hudibras  "^  under  the  nickname  of  Cerdon  : — 

*'  The  upright  Cerdou  next  advanc'd, 
Of  all  his  race  the  valiaut'st : 
Cerdon  the  Great,  renowned  in  song, 
Like  Herc'les,  for  repair  of  wrong. 
He  rais'd  tlie  low,  and  fortify'd 
The  weak  against  the  strongest  side  : 
-^  111  has  he  read  that  never  hit 

On  him  in  Muses'  deiithless  writ. 

He  had  a  weapon  keen  and  fierce, 

That  through  a  bull-hide  shield  would  pierce, 

And  cut  it  in  a  thousand  pieces, 

Though  tougher  than  the  Knight  of  Greece  his, 

With  whom  his  black-thunib'd  ancestor 

Was  comrade  in  the  ten  years'  war. 

Fast  friend  he  was  to  reformation, 
Until  'twas  worn  (^uite  out  of  fashion  ; 
Next  rectifier  of  every  law, 
And  would  make  three  to  cure  one  flaw. 
Learned  he  was,  and  could  take  note, 
Transcribe,  collect,  translate,  and  quote."  * 

Later  on,"  Hudibras  describes  tlie  scene  at  the  bear- 
gardens when  Hewson  and  the  Puritan  party  endeavour 
to  put  a  stop  to  the  savage  sport  of  bear-baiting.  The 
mob  turn  on  the  Puritans,  but  as  for  the  fat  colonel — 

"  Qtiarter  he  scorns,  he  is  so  stout, 
And  therefore  cannot  long  hold  out." 

^  Part  I.  Canto  II.,  409-430,  &c. 
3  Y-M-t  I.  Canto  III.,  118,  119. 


2So  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

One  of  the  squibs  alluded  to  above  was  entitled 
"  A  Hymn  to  the  Gentle  Craft;  or,  Hewson's  Lamenta- 
tion." ■^  The  reader  will  observe  that  Hewson's  one 
eye,  "  does  not  escape  the  notice  of  bis  enemies."  This 
piece  was  sung  as  a  ballad  in  the  streets  : — 

"  Listen  awhile  to  what  I  shall  say, 
Of  a  blind  cobbler  that's  gone  astray 
Out  of  the  Parliament's  highway. 
Good  people,  pity  the  blind  ! 

"  His  name  you  wot  well  is  Sir  John  Hewson, 
Whom  I  intend  to  set  my  muse  on, 
As  great  a  warrior  as  Sir  Miles  Lewson. 
Good  people,  pity  the  blind  ! 

"  He'd  now  give  all  the  shoes  in  his  shop 
The  Parliament's  fury  for  to  stop, 
Whip  cobbler  like  any  town-top. 
Good  people,  pity  the  blind  ! 

"  Oliver  made  him  a  famous  Lord, 
That  he  forgot  his  cutting-board, 
But  now  his  thread's  twisted  to  a  cord. 
Good  people,  pity  the  blind  ! 

"  Sing  hi,  ho,  Hewson  ! — the  state  ne'er  went  upright. 
Since  cobblers  could  pray,  preach,  govern,  and  fight  ; 
We  shall  see  what  they'll  do  now  you're  out  of  sight. 
Good  people,  pity  the  blind  !  " 

Having  been  one  of  the  men  who  sat  in  judgment 
on  King  Charles  I.,  the  Colonel  was  with  other  regi- 
cides condemned  to  be  hung  October,  14,  1660  ;^  but 
he  is  said  to  have  escaped  hanging  by  flight,  and  to 
have  died  at  Amsterdam  "  in  his  original  obscurity," 
1662.' 

^  Quoted  in  Chambers's   "  Book  of  Days,"  August   15.     W.  &  R. 
Chambers,  Edinburgh. 
-  Evelyn's  "  Diary  "  of  this  date.  '  Pepys,  see  above. 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  MYNGS.  281 


S/J^  CHRISTOPHER  MYNGS,  ADMIRAL 
OF  THE  ENGLISH  FLEET. 

Christopher  Myngs  (or  Minns),  "the  son  of  an 
honest  shoemaker  in  London,  from  whom  he  inherited 
nothing  but  a  good  constitution,"^  is  said  to  have  worn 
the  leathern  apron  for  a  short  time  before  he  went  to 
sea.  Speaking  of  the  men  of  humble  origin  who, 
toward  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  made  their 
way  to  high  office  by  their  skill  and  bravery,  Lord 
Macaulay  says  :  "  One  of  the  most  eminent  of  these 
officers  was  Sir  Christopher  Mings,  wlio  entered  the 
service  as  a  cabin-boy,  who  fell  fighting  bravely  against 
tlie  Dutch,  and  whom  his  crew,  weeping  and  vowing 
vengeance,  carried  to  the  grave.  From  him  sprang, 
by  a  singular  kind  of  descent,  a  line  of  valiant  and 
expert  sailors.  His  cabin-boy  w^as  Sir  John  Narborough, 
and  the  cabin-boy  of  Sir  John  Narborough  was  Sir 
Cloudesley  Shovel.  To  the  strong  natural  sense  and 
dauntless  courage  of  this  class  of  men  England  owes 
a  debt  never  to  be  forgotten."  ^  Myngs  knew  how  to 
be  familiar  and  friendly  with  his  men,  and  yet  to  keep 
his  position  and  authority.  Seamen  learn  to  love 
bravery,  and  of  this  they  saw  enough  in  their  gallant 
Admiral.  They  had  additional  reason  for  their  devo- 
tion in  the  care  he  always  took  to  see  them  well  paid 
and  fed,  and  the  justice  he  did  them  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  prizes.  It  was  in  the  great  four  days'  fight  off 
the  English  coast,  June  1-4,  1666,  between  the  Eng- 
lish and  Dutch  fleets,  that  this  brave  man  met  with 

^  Grainger's  "  Biographical  History  of  England,"  vol.  iii. 
-  "History  of  England,"  vol.  i.  p.  316  (People's  Edition). 


282  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

liis  death.  The  English  fleet  was  commanded  by  the 
Duke  of  Albemarle  and  Prince  Eupert,  and  the  Dutch 
by  De  Euyter  and  Van  Tromp  the  younger.  The 
battle  was  one  of  the  most  memorable  on  record,  both 
for  its  length  and  the  valour  displayed  on  both  sides. 
"  On  the  fourth  day  of  the  famous  battle  that  began 
on  the  1st  of  June,  he  received  a  shot  in  the  neck; 
after  which,  though  he  was  in  exquisite  pain,  he  con- 
tinued in  his  command,  holding  his  wound  with  both 
his  hands  for  above  an  hour.  At  length  another  shot 
pierced  his  throat  and  laid  him  for  ever  at  rest."  ^ 

The  portrait  of  Sir  Christopher  Myngs  is  now  in 
the  Painted  Hall  of  Greenwich  Hospital.  It  is  a  half- 
length  by  Sir  Peter  Lely,  and  came  from  Windsor 
Castle,  having  been  presented  by  George  IV.  in  1824." 

1  Grainger's  "  Biographical  History  of  England,"  vol.  iii.  Grainger 
has  an  interesting  note  concerning  Myngs,  which  we  cannot  forbear 
copying  :  "  I  am  credibly  informed  that  when  he  had  taken  a  Spanish 
man-of-war  and  gotten  the  commander  on  board  his  ship,  he  committed 
the  care  of  him  to  a  lieutenant,  who  was  directed  to  observe  his 
behaviour.  Shortly  after  word  was  brought  to  Myngs  that  the  Spaniard 
was  deploring  his  captivity  and  wondering  what  great  captain  it  could 

be  who  had  made  Don  ,  with  a  long  and  tedious  string  of  names 

and  titles,  his  prisoner.  The  lieutenant  was  ordered  to  return  to  his 
charge,  and  if  the  Don  persisted  in  his  curiosity,  to  tell  him  that  '  Kit 
Minns'  had  taken  him.  This  diminutive  name  utterly  confounded 
the  titulado,  threw  him  into  an  agony  of  grief,  and  gave  him  more 
acute  pangs  than  all  the  rest  of  his  misfortunes." 

2  See  the  "  Descriptive  Catalogue  of  the  Portraits  of  Naval  Com- 
manders," &c.,  in  the  "Painted  Hall,  Greenwich  Hospital,"  Her 
Majesty's  Stationery  Office.  London,  iSSi,  p.  lo.  The  editor  of  the  cata- 
logue states  that  "  this  portrait  and  those  numbered  7,  8,  47-49,  102, 
105,  107,  IIO-112  form  the  series  of  valuable  pictures  mentioned  in 
Pepys'  'Diary,'  as  follows  : — 'To  Mr.  Lilly's  the  painter's,  and  there  saw 
the  heads — some  finished  and  all  begun— of  the  flagg-men  in  the  late 
great  fight  with  the  Duke  of  York  against  the  Dutch.  The  Duke  of 
York  hath  them  done  to  hang  in  his  chamber,  and  very  finely  they  are 
done  indeed.  Here  are  the  Prince's  (Rupert),  Sir  George  Askue's, 
Sir  Thomas  Teddiman's,  Sir  Christopher  Myngs',  Sir  Joseph  Jordan's, 


DR.  PARTRIDGE.  283 

ASTEOLOGEES  AND  OTHEES. 


BJ?.  PARTRIDGE,  ASTROLOGER,  PHYSICIAN 
TO  HIS  MAJESTY,  &c. 

In  the  same  age  lived  another  noteworthy  man, 
whose  connection  with  the  gentle  craft  was  much 
more  intimate,  and,  indeed,  of  almost  life-long  duration. 
This  man  was  an  astrologer,  and  blended  with  his 
study  of  the  subtle  iniiueuces  of  the  stars  over  human 
affairs  the  study  of  medicine.  What  relation  there  is 
between  these  two  things  it  were  hard  to  tell ;  but 
certain  it  is,  that  for  many  years  men  who  were  not 
otherwise  fools  and  knaves  believed  in  this  relation ; 
and,  combining  the  two  "  professions,"  found  very 
often  that  success  in  the  one  gave  them  a  certain 
prestige  in  the  other.  A  lucky  hit  in  "  casting  the 
nativity  "  of  a  notable  person,  brought  the  "  astrologer 
and  physician  "  entlless  patients  and  no  small  fortune. 
Probably  an  appointment  as  physician  to  the  king  was 
due  to  no  better  cause  ;  and,  with  such  an  appoint- 
ment, of  course  the  practitioner's  position  was  secure 
for  life.  This  seems  to  have  been  pretty  much  the 
case  with  John  Partridge,  who  is  spoken  of  as  a  shoe- 
maker in  Co  vent  Garden  in  1680,  and  in  1682  is 
styled  'physician  to  His  Majesty  Charles  II.  Here  is  a 
case,  then,  of  a  cobbler  who  ventured  ultra  crcpidam 
to  some  purpose,  and  who  might  very  well  have  taken 
James  Lackington's  motto  for  his  own.^      Partridge,  it 

Sir  William  Berkeley's,  Sir  Thomas  Allen's,  and  Captain  Harman's, 
as  also  the  Duke  of  Albemarle's  ;  and  will  bo  my  Lord  Sandwich's,  Sir 
W.  Penn's,  and  Sir  Jeremy  Smith's.'  " 

^  Sutor  ultra  crepidam  feliciter  ausus.     See  Lackington's  Life,  p.  45. 


2  84  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

must  be  allowed,  was  a  scholar  of  no  mean  attain- 
ments, whatever  he  may  have  been  as  a  physician, 
and  his  scholarship  was  self-acquired.  During  his 
apprenticeship  to  a  shoemaker  he  began  the  study  of 
Latin  with  a  copy  of  Lilye's  Grammar,  Gouldman's 
Dictionary,  Ovid's  Metamorphoses,  and  a  Latin  Bible. 
Having  got  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  Latin  to  read 
astrological  works,  he  betook  himself  to  the  study  of 
Greek  and  Hebrew.  Then  came  physic,  with  the 
grand  result  of  royal  patronage.  Partridge  was  a 
considerable  author  or  editor,  and  the  list  of  his 
works  shows  the  strong  bent  of  his  mind  toward  the 
occult  science.  He  published  a  "  Hebrew  Calendar  " 
for  1678;  "  Vade  Mecum,"  1679;  " Ecclesilegia,  an 
Almanac,"  1679  ;  the  same  for  1680  ;  "The  King  of 
Prance's  Nativity  ;  "  "A  Discourse  of  Two  Moons  ; " 
"  Mercurius  Coelestis,"  being  an  almanac  for  1681  ; 
"  Prodomus,  a  Discourse  on  the  Conjunction  of 
Saturn  and  Mars  ; "  "  The  Black  Life  of  John  Gad- 
bury,"  in  which  a  brother  astrologer  is  roundly  abused, 
and  shown  to  be,  as  a  matter  of  course,  a  rogue  and 
impostor ;  and  a  "  Translation  of  Hadrianus  a  Myn- 
sicht's  Treasury  of  Physic,"  1682. 

The  inscription  over  Partridge's  tomb  is  in  Latin, 
as  becomes  the  memorial  of  so  learned  a  man  and  so 
eminent  a  physician  !  The  visitor  to  the  churchyard 
of  Mortlake  in  Surrey  may  still  learn — if  the  great 
destroyer  has  dealt  gently  with  the  record — how 

JOHANNES   PAETRIDGE,  ASTROLOGUS 
ET   MEDICINE   DOCTOR, 

was  born  at  East  Sheen,  in  Surrey,  on  the    1 8th  Jan- 
uary 1644,  and  died  in  London,  24th  June    171 5  ; 


DR.  PARTRIDGE.  285 

how  he  made  medicine  for  two  kings  and  one  queen. 
Car  oh  scilicet  Seeundo,  Williclmo  Teriio,  Reginccque 
Marice ;  and  how  the  Dutch  University  of  Leyden 
conferred  on  him  the  diploma  Mcdicinoi  Doctor. 

I'artridge  seems  to  have  given  his  MS.  of  the  "  Con- 
junction of  Saturn  and  Mars  "  to  Elias  Ashmole,  who 
presented  it  in  1682,  with  other  curiosities,  to  the 
University  of  Oxford,  where  it  may  still  be  seen  in 
the  Ashmolean  Museum.-^ 

Partridge  is  alluded  to  in  Pope's  "  Ptape  of  the 
Lock,"  where  the  poet  speaks  of  Belinda's  "  wavy  curl," 
whicli  has  been  stolen  and  placed  among  the  stars — 

"  This  Partridge  soon  shall  view  in  cloudless  skies, 
When  next  he  looks  through  Galileo's  eyes  ; 
And  hence  the  egregious  wizard  shall  foredoom 
The  fate  of  Louis  and  the  fall  of  Eonie." 

"  What  sacrifices,"  says  the  author  of  "  The  Book  of 
Days,"  "would  many  a  sage  or  poet  have  made  to  be 
connected  through  all  time  with  Pope  and  the  charm- 
ing Belinda !  Yet  here,  in  this  case,  we  find  the 
almanac-making  shoemaker  enjoying  a  companionship 
and  a  celebrity  for  qualities  whicli,  morally,  have  no 
virtue  or  endurance  in  them,  but  quite  the  reverse." 
Swift,  whose  satire  stung  many  an  abuse  to  death, 
made  endless  fun  of  Partridge  and  his  absurd  pro- 
phecies based  on  astrology.  In  1708  Swift  published 
a  burlesque  almanac  containing  "  predictions  for  tlie 
year,"  &c.,  &c.,  the  first  of  which  was  about  Partridge 
himself.  Fancy  the  astrologer's  feelings  when  he  read 
the   following   awful   announcement : — "  I   have    con- 

^  Elias  Ashmole  appears  to  have  been  given  to  astrology  and  alchemy  ; 
see  his  "  Way  to  Bliss,"  a  work  on  the  philosopher's  stone,  published 
1658. 


286  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

suited  the  star  of  his  nativity  by  my  own  rules,  and 
find  he  will  infallibly  die  on  the  29th  of  March  next 
of  a  raging  fever  ;  therefore  I  advise  him  to  consider 
it  and  settle  his  affairs  in  time  ! " 

After  the  29th  of  March  was  past,  Partridge  posi- 
tively took  the  trouble  to  inform  the  public  that  he 
was  not  dead  !  This  he  did  in  his  almanac  for  1709. 
Whereupon  the  cruel  Dean  took  the  matter  up  again 
and  tried  to  show  Partridge  his  error.  He  was  dead, 
argues  Swift,  if  he  did  but  know  it ;  but  then  there  is 
no  accounting  for  some  men's  ignorance  !  He  says, 
"  I  have  in  another  place  and  in  a  paper  by  itself 
sufficiently  convinced  this  man  that  he  is  dead ;  and  if 
he  has  any  shame,  I  don't  doubt  but  that  by  this  time 
he  owns  it  to  all  his  acquaintance."  ^  Not  content 
with  this,  Swift  wrote  an  "  Elegy  on  the  supposed  Death 
of  Partridge,  the  Almanac-maker,"  and  wound  up  the 
2Jai7iful  business  by  writing  his  epitaph  too. 

THE    EPITAPH. 

"  Here,  five  foot  deep,  lie?,  on  his  back, 
A  cobbler,  starmonger,  and  quack, 
Who  to  the  stars,  in  pure  goodwill, 
Does  to  his  best  look  upward  still. 
Weep,  all  ye  customers,  that  use 
His  pills,  or  almanacs,  or  shoes  ; 
And  you  that  did  your  fortunes  seek, 
Step  to  his  grave  but  once  a  week. 
This  earth,  which  bears  his  body's  print, 
You'll  find  has  so  much  virtue  in't, 


^  "  The  Tatler,"  April  1 1,  1709.  Steele  and  Congreve  assisted  in  the 
joke,  Congreve  pretended  to  take  the  side  of  Partridge  by  defending 
him  against  the  charge  of  "  sneaking  about  without  paying  his  funeral 
expenses  !  "    See  Timb's  "Anecdote  Biog."  vol.  i.  pp.  24  and  154, 


THE  BROTHERS  SIBLY.  287 

That  I  chirst  pawn  my  ear  'twill  tell 
Whate'er  concerns  you  full  as  well, 
In  physic,  stolen  goods,  or  love, 
As  he  himself  could  when  above," 


THE  BROTHERS  SIBLY.— EBENEZER  SIBLY, 
AID.,  F.R.C.R,  ASTROLOGER,  c^c. 

Here  also  may  be  mentioned  the  once  famous  Dr. 
Ehenezer  Sihly,  the  physician  and  astrologer,  and  his 
brother  Manoah,  who  by  turns  was  shoemaker,  short- 
hand reporter,  and  preacher  of  the  "  heavenly  doc- 
trines "  of  the  New  Jerusalem  Church.  However 
great  a  figure  these  men  may  have  made  in  their  day, 
they  have  managed  to  drop  so  completely  out  of 
notice  that  no  encyclopaedia,  biographical  dictionary, 
or  magazine  ^  the  writer  has  met  with  contains  any 
account  of  them.  They  are  said  to  have  been  born  in 
Bristol,  and  to  have  been  brought  up  to  the  gentle 
craft.^  The  first  edition  of  Ebenezer  Sibly's  "Astro- 
logical Astronomy"  was  published  in  1789,  in  tliree 
vols.  8vo,  and  was  entitled  "  Astronomy  and  Elemen- 
tary Philosophy,"  being  a  translation  of  Placidus  de 
Titus.  The  various  editions  of  this  work  contain  a 
collection  of  remarkable  nativities,  and  among  them 
Sibly  includes  that  of  Thomas  Chatterton,  "  the  mar- 
vellous boy "  of  BristoL^  Of  course  the  astrologer 
sees  in  the  horoscope  of  Chatterton  sure  signs  of  re- 

^  In  regard  to  Manoah  Sibly,  see  below. 

^  "Crispin  Anecdotes,"  p.  85.  The  plates  in  E.  Sibly'a  works  are 
by  Ames,  a  Bristol  name  a  century  ago.  His  portrait  in  the  1 790 
edition  is  by  Roberts. 

^  His  birth  is  set  down  as  occurring  20th  November,  p.m.,  1752. 


288  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

markable  genius.  Sibly  was  frequently  consulted  both 
for  astrological  and  medical  purposes,  the  two  profes- 
sions, astrology  and  medicine,  being  regarded  as  having 
a  certain  necessary  relation.  At  all  events,  it  answered 
the  purposes  of  men  like  Sibly  and  Partridge  to  asso- 
ciate them  in  their  practice.  Human  credulity  dies 
hard,  the  race  of  fools  seems  to  be  endowed  with  won- 
drous vitality ;  even  as  late  as  1826  Sibly 's  "  Celestial 
Science  of  Astrology,"  in  two  bulky  4to  vols.,  was  pub- 
lished in  a  twelfth  edition,  and  at  that  time  there  must 
have  been  many  readers  of  his  costly  works  ^  on  the 
"  Occult  Sciences,  comprehending  the  Art  of  Foretelling 
Future  Events  and  Contingencies  by  the  Aspect  and 
Influences  of  the  Heavenly  Bodies."  This  work  was 
accompanied  by  a  key  to  physic  and  the  occult 
sciences.  "  Many  of  my  readers,"  says  the  author 
of  "Crispin  Anecdotes,"  "otherwise  indebted  to  Dr. 
Sibly,  may  remember  his  solar  and  lunar  tinctures, 
and  may  probably  have  experienced  their  efficacy  in 
transmuting  gold  coin  into  aurum  potabile  !  "  In  his 
astrological  works  and  his  edition  of  "  Culpepper's 
Herbal,"  Sibly  signs  himself  "  M.D.,"  "Fellow  of  the 
Ptoyal  Harmonic  Philosophical  Society  at  Paris," 
"  Member  of  the  Eoyal  College  of  Physicians  in  Aber- 
deen," &c.,  &c.  The  "  Herbal "  is  dated  in  the  year  of 
Masonry  5798,  and  is  written  from  No.  i  Upper 
Tichfield  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  London.  We  have 
no  record  of  the  death  of  this  illustrious  son  of 
Crispin,  who,  perhaps,  had  better  have  stuck  to  his 
last.  He  is  called  "  the  late  E.  Sibly,  M.D.,"  in  the 
I  8  1 7  edition  of  his  "  Celestial  Science." 

^  They  were  published  at  two  t/uineas. 


MA  NOAH  SIDLY.  289 


MA  NOAH  SIBLY,  SHORTHAND   WRITER,  qt-c. 

Manoaii  Sibly  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  more 
varied,  and  certainly  of  mnch  more  useful  gifts,  than 
his  brother  "  the  doctor ; "  but  it  may  well  be  doubted 
if  he  made  as  much  capital  out  of  them.  He  was 
born  August  20,  i/S/.'^  If  the  writer  above  quoted 
be  correct  in  saying  that  Manoah  was  a  shoemaker, 
he  must  have  made  good  use  of  his  spare  time,  and 
even  of  his  working  hours,  for  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  is  said  to  have  been  teaching  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin, 
and'  Syriac.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he 
was  a  prominent  preacher  in  connection  with  the  New 
Jerusalem  or  Swedenborgian  community.  For  fifty- 
three  years,  from  the  time  of  his  ordination  in  1790, 
he  held  the  pastorate  of  the  congregation  for  which 
the  Friars  Street  Chapel,  London,  was  built  in  1803. 
This  congregation  is  now  represented  by  the  well- 
known  Argyle  Square  Church,  King's  Cross,  where  a 
tablet  to  his  memory  has  been  erected.  Manoah  Sibly 
does  not  seem  at  any  time  to  have  been  wholly  occu- 
pied with  the  work  of  preaching,  although  he  delivered 
two  sermons  a  week  for  forty-three  years,  and  one  a 
week  for  the  remaining  ten  of  his  ministry.  Whether 
lie  dabbled  in  the  muddy  waters  of  astrology  or  no,  it 
is  rather  hard  to  tell ;  probably  he  left  the  task  of 
reading  the  stars,  for  the  most  part,  to  his  more 
astute  brother,  Ebenezer.    At  any  rate,  a  translation  of 

^  The  Secretary  of  the  Swedenborg  Society,  Mr.  James  Speirs,  has 
obligingly  supplied  the  writer  with  most  of  the  facts  given  above, 
which  are  taken  from  an  obituary  of  M.  S.  in  the  "  Intellectual  Reposi- 
tory," a  Swedenborg  magazine  for  1S41.  Mr.  Speirs  says  that  Manoah 
Sibly  was  "presumably"  born  in  London,  but  see  above. 

T 


290  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Placidus  de  Titus  is  set  down  in  certain  lists  as  having 
been  published  in  his  name  in  1789  ;^  and  when  he 
opened  a  shop  as  a  bookseller,  he  dealt  chiefly  in  works 
on  occult  philosophy.  In  1795  he  is  styled  shorthand 
writer  to  the  City  of  London  on  the  titlepage  of  the 
published  reports  from  his  own  notes  of  the  trial  of 
Gillman  and  of  Thomas  Hardy,  the  political  shoe- 
maker, whose  trial  and  acquittal  created  so  great  an 
excitement  throughout  the  country.  Two  years  after 
this  he  obtained  a  situation  in  the  Bank  of  England, 
which  he  held  for  no  less  than  forty-three  years.  In 
addition  to  all  this  multifarious  work,  he  found  time  for 
writing  and  slight  editorial  duties.  In  1796  a  volume 
of  sermons  preached  in  the  New  Jerusalem  Temple 
appeared  in  his  name,  and  in  1802  he  edited  a  liturgy 
ibr  his  own  church,  and  wrote  a  hymn-book.  If  in 
no  other  way,  his  memory  will  be  perpetuated  among  his 
co-religiouists  by  the  hymns  that  bear  his  name.  His 
first  published  work  was  a  critical  essay  on  Jeremiah 
xxxviii.  16,  issued  in  1777;  and  his  last,  a  discourse 
on  "Jesus  Christ,  the  only  Divine  object  of  Praise,"  de- 
livered on  the  forty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  promul- 
gation of  the  "heavenly  doctrines,"  appeared  fifty-six 
years  after,  viz.,  in  1833.  Manoah  Sibly's  long  life 
of  fourscore  and  three  years  came  to  an  end  December 
16,  1840. 

^  The  exact  correspondence  in  title  and  date  between  this  book  and 
the  first  edition  of  E.  Sibly's  similar  work  creates  a  suspicion  of  error 
in  the  name. 


MACKEY.  291 

MACKEY,  THE  LEARNED  SHOEMAKER  OF 
NORWICH,  AND  TWO  OTHER  LEARNED 
SHOEMAKERS. 

Ix  this  connection  we  may  mention  a  curious  instance 
of  learning  in  lowly  life,  mentioned  in  one  of  a  series 
of  interesting  articles  in  the  "  Leisure  Hour,"  already 
alluded  to.  The  writer  says :  "  In  that  most  enter- 
taining miscellany  "Notes  and  Queries"  (No.  215) 
we  find  an  interesting  account  of  a  very  poor  Xorwicli 
shoemaker  named  Maclcey,  whose  mind  appears  to 
have  been  a  marvellous  receptacle  of  varied  learn- 
ing. He  died  in  Dough ty's  Hospital,  in  Norwich,  an 
asylum  for  aged  persons  there.  The  writer  of  the 
paper  found  him  surrounded  by  the  tools  of  his 
former  trade  and  a  variety  of  astronomical  in- 
struments and  apparatus,  and  he  instantly  was  ready 
for  conversation  upon  the  mysteries  of  astronomical 
and  mythological  lore,  the  "  Asiatic  Kesearches  of 
Captain  Wilford,"  and  the  mythological  speculations 
of  Jacob  Bryant  and  Maurice,  quoting  Latin  and 
Greek  to  his  auditor.  He  was  called  "  the  learned 
shoemaker."  His  learning  was  probably  greatly  un- 
digested and  ungeneralised,  but  it  was  none  the  less 
another  singular  instance  of  the  pursuit  of  knowledge 
under  difiiculties,  as  is  shown  by  his  published  works 
on  mythological  astronomy  and  on  "  The  Age  of 
Mental  Emancipation."  To  this  notice  of  Mackey  the 
writer  in  the  "  Leisure  Hour  "  adds  an  amusing  story, 
which  is  too  good  to  be  omitted,  of  a  brother  of  the 
gentle  craft  (a  cobbler)  who,  in  order  to  eclipse  a  rival 
who  lived  opposite  to  him,  put   over  his  door  on  his 


292  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

stall  the  well-known  motto,  "  Hens  conscia  recti"  (a 
mind  conscious  of  rectitude).  But  his  adversary,  de- 
termined not  to  be  outdone,  showed  himself  also  a 
cobbler  in  classics  as  well  as  in  shoes,  by  placing  over 
his  door  the  astonisliingly  comprehensive  defiance, 
"  Men's  and  Women's  conscia  recti." 


ANTHONY  PUR  VER,  THE  SHOEMAKER 
WHO  REVISED  THE  BIBLE. 

Another  curious  instance  of  extensive  reading  and 
remarkable  linguistic  talent,  somewhat  similar  to  that 
of  Dr.  Partridge  and  the  learned  shoemaker  of  Nor- 
wich, is  that  of  Anthony  Purver.  He  was  born  at  Up 
Hurstbourne  in  Hampshire  in  1702.  His  parents 
were  poor,  and  put  their  boy  apprentice  to  the  art 
and  mystery  of  making  and  mending  boots  and  shoes. 
When  his  "  time  was  out,"  he  betook  himself  to  the 
leisurely  and  healthy  employment  of  keeping  sheep, 
and  began  to  study.  His  special  line  in  after-life  was 
decided  by  his  meeting  with  a  tract  which  pointed  out 
some  errors  of  trauslation  in  the  authorised  version  of 
the  Bible.  This  led  him  to  resolve  that  he  w^ould 
read  the  Scriptures  in  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek. 
Taking  lessons  from  a  Jew,  Purver  soon  learned  to 
read  Hebrew.  After  this  he  took  up  Greek  and  Latin, 
until  he  could  read  with  ease  in  either  language. 
"  On  settling  as  a  schoolmaster  at  Andover,"  we  are 
told,^  "  he  undertook  the  extraordinary  labour  of  trans- 

^  "  Maunder's  Biographical  Treasur}-."     Loudon  :  Longmans. 


POETS  OF  THE  COBBLER'S  STALL.  293 

lating  the  Bible  into  English,  which  work  he  actually 
accomplished,  and  it  was  printed  at  the  expense  of 
Dr.  Fothergill  in  two  vols,  folio.  This  learned  shoe- 
maker, shepherd,  and  schoolmaster  deeply  felt  the 
need  of  the  great  work  which  has  been  accomplished 
in  our  own  day  by  the  united  scholarship  of  England 
and  America.  In  his  own  way  he  completed  the 
Herculean  task  single-handed;  and  if  his  translation 
was  not  of  any  general  and  practical  utility,  it  none 
the  less  deserves  mention  as  a  monument  of  self- 
acquired  learning  and  honourable  industry.  Purver 
died  in  1777,  at  the  age  of  seventy-live." 


POETS  OF  THE  COBBLER'S  STALL. 

In  coming  to  speak  of  the  iiods  of  the  cobbler's  stall, 
the  task  of  selection  is  found  to  be  by  no  means  an 
easy  one.  It  is  hard  enough  to  tell  where  to  begin ; 
it  is  harder  still  to  know  where  to  leave  off.  "  This 
brooding  fraternity "  of  shoemakers,  it  is  said,  "  has 
produced  more  rhymers  than  any  other  of  the  handi- 
crafts."^ 

"  Crispin's  sons 

Have  from  uncounted  time  with  ale  and  buns 

Cherish'd  the  gift  of  song,  which  sorrow  quells  ; 

And  working  single  in  their  low-biiilt  cells, 

Oft  cheat  the  tedium  of  a  winter's  night 

With  anthems."  ^ 


'   "  Quarterly  Review,"  January  1831,  p.  76. 
'^  Charles  Lamb,  "Album  Verses,"  1830,  p.  57. 


294  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

In  the  clays  of  the  revival  of  learning  and  the  re- 
formation of  religion  in  England,  shoemakers  had  their 
share  in  the  mental  and  moral  awakening.  Many 
of  them  turned  poets,  and  essayed  to  write  ballads 
and  songs,  of  which  we  have  a  sample  in  Deloney's 
"  Delightful,  Princely,  and  Entertaining  History  of  the 
Gentle  Craft."  ^  Such  a  spirited  songster  as  Eichard 
Eigby,  "  a  brother  of  the  craft,"  who  undertook  to  show 
in  his  "  Song  of  Praise  to  the  Gentle  Craft "  how 
"  royal  princes,  sons  of  kings,  lords,  and  great  com- 
manders have  been  shoemakers  of  old,  to  the  honour 
of  the  ancient  trade,"  also  deserves  to  be  mentioned. 
This  song,  beginning 

"  1  ping  in  praise  of  shoemakers, 
Whose  honour  no  person  can  stain,"  ^ 

is  no  mean  performance;  its  historic  allusions  may 
not  be  unimpeachable,  but  its  poetic  ring  is  genuine. 
Scores  of  pieces  of  a  similar  character  have  issued  from 
the  cobbler's  room,  and  either  perished,  like  many 
another  ballad  and  song  of  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries,  or  found  their  way  into  odd  corners 
of  our  literature,  where  they  are  buried  almost  beyond 
hope  of  resurrection. 

Speaking  of  men  who  have  aspired  to  be  poets  and 
have  published  their  productions,  one  is  fain  to  begin 
with  a  name  which,  if  it  could  be  proved  to  belong 
to  the  gentle  craft,  would  certainly  have  to  stand  at 
the  head  of  the  long  list  of  poetical  shoemakers — the 
Elizabethan  dramatist  Thomas  Deldcer,  who  wrote  "  one 
of  the  most  light-hearted  of  merry  comedies,"  "  The 

1  London,  1675  and  1725. 

-  See  Campion's  "Delightful  Histor\-,"  p.  51. 


POETS  OF  THE  COBBLER'S  STALL.  295 

Slioomaker's  Holyday."  One  of  the  most  prominent 
characters  in  the  play  is  Sir  Simon  Eyre,  the  reputed 
builder  of  Leadenhall  Market,  London,  and  Lord  Mayor 
of  the  city/  Of  this  worthy,  who  lived  in  the  time 
of  Henry  VI.,  Eigby,  in  his  "  Song  in  Praise  of  the 
Gentle  Craft/'  says — 

"  Sir  Simon,  Lord  ]\Iayor  of  fair  London, 
He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade." 

It  is  hard  to  think  that  the  w^riter  of  "  The  Slioo- 
maker's Holiday,"  in  which  the  ways  of  shoemakers  and 
the  details  of  the  craft  are  described  with  all  the  ease 
and  exactitude  of  familiarity,  was  not  a  brother  of  the 
craft."  When  the  famous  quarrel  arose  between  the 
quondam  friends  and  co-w^orkers,  Ben  Jonson  and 
Dekker,  Jonson  in  his  Poetaster  satirised  the  author 
of  "  The  Shoomaker's  Holyday "  under  the  name  of 
Crispinus.  This  epithet  may  be  simply  an  allusion  to 
the  subject  of  Dekker's  well-known  comedy ;  but  may 
it  not  also  be  regarded  as  a  veritable  "  cut  at  a 
cobbler  ? " 

^  The  author  of  "  Crispin  Anecdotes  "  mentions  another  shoemaker 
who  was  made  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  viz.,  Sir  Thomas  Tichbourne, 
who  was  Mayor  in  1656,  during  the  Protectorate. — "Crispin  Anec- 
dotes," p.  127. 

-  One  is  ready  to  ask  who  but  a  shoemaker  could  have  gone  so 
heartily  into  the  rollicking  fun  of  the  shoemaker's  room,  or  asked  such 
a  question  as  the  following  : — "  Have  you  all  your  tools  ;  a  good  rub- 
bing pin,  a  good  stopper,  a  good  dresser,  your  four  sorts  of  awls,  and 
your  two  balls  of  wax,  your  paring  knife,  your  hand  and  thumb  leathers, 
and  good  Saint  Hugh's  bones  to  smooth  your  work  ? "  It  may  be 
remarked  here  that  Saint  Hugh  is  another  patron  saint  of  the  craft. 
Hugh,  son  of  the  king  of  Powis,  was  in  love  with  Winifred,  daughter 
of  Donvallo,  king  of  Flintshire.  Both  were  martyrs  under  Diocletian. 
St.  Hugh's  bones  were  stolen  by  the  shoemakers,  and  worked  up  into 
tools  to  avoid  discovery.  Hence  the  cobbler's  phrase,  "St.  Hugh's 
bones."     See  Deloney's  "  Entertaining  History." 


296  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

JAMES  WOODHOUSE,  THE  FRIEND  OF 
SHENSTONE. 

James  Woodhouse  stands  first  on  our  list  in  point 
of  time,  but  not  in  regard  to  ability.  He  evidently 
owed  his  little  brief  popularity  to  the  friendship  of 
William  Shenstone,  author  of  "  The  Schoolmistress." 
Shenstone  lived  at  Leasowes,  seven  miles  from  Bir- 
mingham, in  a  charming  country-house  surrounded  by 
gardens,  artistically  laid  out  and  cultivated  with  the 
utmost  care  by  the  eccentric,  fantastic  poet.  Wood- 
house,  who  was  born  about  1733,  was  a  village  shoe- 
maker, and  eke  a  schoolmaster  at  Eowley,  two  miles 
off.  Shenstone  had  been  obliged  to  exclude  the  public 
from  his  gardens  and  grounds  at  Leasowes  on  account 
of  the  wanton  damage  done  to  flowers  and  shrubs. 
Whereupon  the  village  shoemaker  addressed  the  poet 
in  poetical  terms  asking  to  be  "  excluded  from  the 
prohibition."  In  reply  Shenstone  admitted  him  not 
only  to  wander  through  his  grounds,  but  to  make  a 
free  use  of  his  library.  "  Shenstone  found,"  says 
Southey,  "  that  the  poor  applicant  used  to  work  with 
a  pen  and  ink  at  his  side  while  the  last  was  in  his 
lap — the  head  at  one  employ,  the  hands  at  another  ; 
and  when  he  had  composed  a  couplet  or  a  stanza,  he 
wrote  it  on  his  knee."  Woodhouse  was  then  about 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  His  lot  must  have  been 
rather  hard  at  that  time,  for,  speaking  of  his  wife's 
work  and  his  own,  he  says  in  one  of  his  poems — 

"  Nor  mourn  I  much  my  task  austere, 
Which  endless  wants  impose  ; 
But  oh  !  it  wounds  my  soul  to  hear 
My  Daphne's  melting  woes  ! 


JOHN  BEN  NET.  297 

"  For  oft  she  sighs  and  oft  she  weeps 
And  hangs  her  pensive  head, 
While  blood  her  furrowed  finger  steeps 
And  stains  the  passing  thread. 

"  When  orient  hills  the  sun  behold, 
Our  labours  are  begun  ; 
And  when  he  streaks  the  west  with  gold. 
The  task  is  still  undone." 

Eive  years  after  his  introduction  to  Slienstone,  a  col- 
lection of  his  poems  was  published,  entitled  "Poems 
on  Several  Occasions."  About  forty  years  afterwards 
he  issued  another  edition  with  additional  pieces,  such 
as  "  Woodstock,  an  Elegy,"  "  St.  Crispin,"  &c.  In  the 
later  years  of  his  life  he  was  living  near  Norbury  Park, 
and  had  found  a  generous  patron  in  Mr.  Lock,  who 
superintended  the  publication  of  his  poetry,  and  in 
Lord  Lyttleton  of  Hagley. 


JOHN  BENNET  OF  WOODSTOCK,  PARISH 
CLERK  AND  POET. 

The  name  of  Bennet  occurs  once  more  in  our  list, 
and  in  this  instance,  if  classed  at  all,  it  should  be 
classed  with  the  poets,  although  it  must  be  confessed 
that  the  claim  of  John  Bennet  to  that  honourable  title 
would  hardly  be  allowed  in  some  quarters.  This  little 
local  celebrity  inherited  the  office  of  parish  clerk  from 
his  father,  and  with  it  some  degree  of  musical  taste, 
for  his  father's  psalm-singing  is  said  to  have  charmed 
the  ear  of  Thomas  Warton,  Professor  of  Poetry  at 
Oxford,  and  some  time  curate  of  Woodstock.     John 


298  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Bennet,  junior,  succeeded  to  the  clerkship  in  Warton's 
time,  and  thus  came  under  the  notice  of  the  kindly 
clergyman,  who  was  a  generous  patron  of  men  of  this 
class.  When  Bennet  took  to  writing  poetry  and 
thought  of  publishing,  Warton  gave  him  every  assis- 
tance in  his  power.  A  poor  uneducated  poet  could 
scarcely  have  fallen  into  better  hands,  for  the  young 
curate  was  geniality  itself,  if  we  may  judge  from  the 
estimate  of  him  formed  by  Southey,  who  speaks  of 
his  "  thorough  good-nature  and  the  boyish  hilarity 
which  he  retained  through  life,"  and  furthermore  adds, 
"  The  Woodstock  shoemaker  was  chiefly  indebted  for 
the  patronage  which  he  received  to  Thomas  Warton's 
good-nature,  for  my  predecessor  was  the  best-natured 
man  that  ever  wore  a  great  wig."  ^  The  shoemaker's 
poetry  was  "published  by  subscription"  in  1774,  ^^'-'• 
the  long  list  of  notable  names  speaks  well  for  the 
industry  and  influence  of  the  patron  to  whose  efforts 
the  splendid  array  of  subscribers  must  be  attributed. 
Bennet's  poetry,  which  was  not  of  a  very  high  order 
of  merit,  consisted  chiefly  of  simple  rhymes  on  rustic 
themes,  in  which  he  does  not  forget  to  sing  the  praises 
of  the  genileman-like  craft  to  which  he  belongs  ;  nor 
does  he  hesitate  frankly  to  declare  that  his  reason  for 
publishing  his  rhymes  is  "  to  enable  the  author  to 
rear  an  infant  offspring,  and  to  drive  away  all  anxious 
solicitude  from  the  breast  of  a  most  amiable  wife." 
Later  in  life  he  published  another  volume,  having  for 
its  chief  piece  a  poem  entitled  "  Eedemption  ; "  and, 
as  a  set-off,  a  kindly  preface  by  Dr.  Mavor,  Eector  of 

'  See  Southey's  preface  to  "Attempts  in  Verse,  by  John  Jones," 
London,  1830;  and  article  thereon  in  "Quarterly  Review,"  January 
1S31,  p.  Si. 


RICHARD  SAVAGE.  299 

Woodstock.  This  honest  parish  clerk  of  poetical  fame 
died  and  was  buried  at  Woodstock  on  the  8  th  of 
August  1803. 


RICHARD  SA  VAGE,  THE  FRIEND  OF  POPE. 
A  FAR  better  poet,  but  a  far  less  worthy  man  than 
Bennet  of  Woodstock  or  Woodhouse  of  Eowley  was 
Bichard  Savage,  the  friend  of  Pope.  From  beginning 
to  end  the  story  of  his  life,  as  told  by  Dr.  Johnson 
in-^his  "Lives  of  the  Poets,"  is  one  of  the  most 
romantic  and  melancholy  biographies  in  existence.  It 
only  concerns  us  here  to  say  that  PJchard  Savage,  the 
reputed  ^  son  of  Earl  Eivers  and  the  Countess  of  Mac- 
clesfield, was,  on  leaving  school,  apprenticed  to  a  shoe- 
maker, and  remained  in  this  humble  position  "  longer 
than  he  was  willing  to  confess ;  nor  was  it,  perhaps, 
any  great  advantage  to  him  that  an  unexpected 
discovery  determined  him  to  quit  his  occupation." 
Dr.  Johnson  thus  speaks  of  this  discovery  and  its 
immediate  results  : — "  About  this  time  his  nurse,  who 
had  always  treated  him  as  her  own  son,  died ;  and  it 
was  natural  for  him  to  take  care  of  those  effects 
which,  by  her  death,  were,  as  he  imagined,  become 
his  own.  He  therefore  went  to  her  house,  opened 
her  boxes,  and  examined  her  papers,  among  which 
he  found  some  letters  written  to  her  by  the  Lady 
Mason,  which  informed  him  of  his  birth  and  the 
reason  for  which  it  was  concealed.  Dissatisfied  with 
his    employment,    but    unable  to    obtain  either   pity 

^  For  an  able  discussion  of  the  question,  "  Was  Richard  Savage  an 
Impostor?"  to  which  the  writer,  Mr.  Moy  Thomas,  says,  "Yes," 
see  "Notes  and  Queries,"  2nd  Series,  vol.  vi. 


3CO  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

or  help  from  his  mother,  to  whom  he  made  many 
tender  appeals,  he  resolved  to  devote  himself  to 
literature.  His  first  attempt  iu  this  line  was  a  short 
poem  called  '  The  Battle  of  the  Pamphlets,'  written 
anent  the  Bangorian  Controversy ;  and  his  second 
a  comedy  under  the  title  '  Woman's  Eiddle.'  Two 
years  after  appeared  another  comedy,  '  Love  in  a 
Veil.'  In  1 7  2  3  he  wrote  a  drama,  having  for  its 
subject  certain  events  in  the  life  of  Sir  Thomas 
Overbury.  Previous  to  the  publication  of  a  small 
volume  entitled  'A  Miscellany  of  Poems,'  Savage 
wrote  the  story  of  his  life  in  a  political  paper  called 
'  The  Plain  Dealer.'  His  best  poem,  '  The  Wanderer,' 
iu  wliich  are  some  pathetic  passages  referring  to  him- 
self, was  published  in  1729."  For  the  story  of  the 
life  of  this  unhappy  man  the  reader  must  be  referred 
to  Johnson's  "Lives."  Savage  died  in  the  debtors' 
prison,  Bristol,  August  i,  1743. 


THOMAS  OLIVERS,  HYMN-WRITER,  FRIEND 
AND  CO-WORKER    WITH  JOHN  WESLEY. 

It  is  a  relief  to  turn  from  the  thought  of  Savage  to 
Thomas  Olivers,  one  of  John  Wesley's  most  inti- 
mate friends  and  zealous  co-workers.  We  have  seen 
already  how  prominent  a  part  another  shoemaker 
played  in  the  Methodist  revival;^  but  Olivers  is 
perhaps  better  known  to  the  general  public  than 
Samuel  Bradburn,  for  the  latter  has  left  no  mark  on 

1  See  Life  of  Samuel  Bradburn,  President  of  the  Wesleyan  Con- 
ference. 


THOMAS  OLIVERS.  301 

our  literature,  while  the  former  has  made  a  name 
among  hymn-writers  as  the  author  of  several  ex- 
cellent hymns,  and  of  one,  in  particular,  which 
holds  a  place  of  first  rank  in  Christian  hymnology. 
Olivers'  fame  outside  Methodism  rests  chiefly  on  the 
fine  hymn  beginning — 

"  The  God  of  Al>ram  praise, 

Who  reigns  enthroned  above, 
Ancient  of  everlasting  days, 

And  God  of  love. 
Jehovah  great,  I  Am, 

By  earth  and  heaven  confest ; 
I  bow  and  bless  the  sacred  name. 

For  ever  blest." 

One  hymn  may  seem  to  be  a  very  narrow  basis  on 
which  to  build  a  reputation,  yet  the  name  of  Olivers 
will  as  surely  be  handed  down  to  future  generations, 
on  account  of  this  fine  sacred  lyric,  as  it  would  have 
been  if  he  had  written  a  whole  volume  of  hymns  of 
merely  average  merit.  A  dozen  instances  might  be 
cited  in  which  a  single  brief  poem  of  rare  excellence 
has  won  an  undying  fame  for  tlie  writer.  Gray's 
"  Elegy  Written  in  a  Country  Churchyard,"  and 
Michael  Bruce's  "  Elegy  Written  in  Spring,"  Wolfe's 
"  Burial  of  Sir  John  Moore,"  and  Blanco  White's 
single  sonnet,  "  Night  and  Death,"  and,  iu  an  inferior 
degree,  poor  Herbert  Knowles'  "  Lines  Written  in 
the  Churchyard  of  Eichmond,  Yorkshire,"  are  cases  in 
point. 

Thomas  Olivers  in  his  autobiography  ^  tells  us  that 

^  See  a  book  of  miusual  interest,  "  Lives  of  the  Early  IMethodis^ 
Preachers,"  ed.  by  Rev.  I.  Jacksou.  Wesleyan  Book-Room,  London, 
3  vols.     1865. 


302  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

he  was  born  at  Tregonon  in  Montgomeryshire  in  1725. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  and  uncle,  Thomas  was 
left  in  charge  of  another  relative  named  Tudor,  who 
sent  him  to  school  and  afterwards  bound  him  appren- 
tice to  a  shoemaker.  He  was,  by  his  own  account, 
idle,  dissolute,  and  profane — "  the  worst  boy  seen 
in  those  parts  for  the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years." 
His  evil  conduct  compelled  him  to  iiy  from  the  scene 
of  his  early  dissipation  as  soon  as  he  could ;  and, 
after  living  a  wild  life  at  Shrewsbury  and  Wrexham, 
he  came  to  Bristol.  This  city  was  his  spiritual  birth- 
place ;  for,  under  a  sermon  by  George  Whitfield,  the 
sinful,  reckless  young  Welshman  was  converted,  and 
became  as  noted  fur  piety  and  earnest  Christian  work 
as  he  had  once  been  for  blasphemy  and  opposition  to 
all  religion.  Shortly  after  his  conversion  he  removed 
to  Bradford  in  Wilts,  where  he  joined  the  Methodists. 
On  recovering  from  a  terrible  attack  of  small-pox  he 
went  back  to  visit  the  scenes  of  his  early  life.  In 
this  expedition  he  had  a  double  object — to  obtain  a 
sum  of  money  left  him  by  his  uncle,  and  then  to  go 
round  to  all  his  creditors  and  pay  his  debts.  This 
most  Christian  conduct  won  him  golden  opinions  and 
formed  a  capital  introduction  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel;  for  Olivers  had  now  begun  to  exercise  his 
rare  gifts  in  that  direction.  Eeturning  to  Bradford,  he 
was  soon  appointed  by  Jolm  Wesley  as  a  travelling 
preacher.  After  preaching  in  many  parts  of  England 
and  enduring  the  usual  amount  of  hardship  and  risk 
to  life  and  limb  incident  to  the  field-preacher's  work 
in  those  days,  he  finally  settled  in  London  as  John 
Wesley's  editor,  having  charge  of  the  "  Arminian 
Magazine,"  and  other  publications,  for  which  Wesley 


THOMAS  OLIVERS.  303 

was  responsible.  This  office  he  held  for  twelve  years ; 
but  he  was  never  quite  fit  for  it,  and  his  chief  was 
reluctantly  compelled  at  last  to  put  a  more  scholarly 
man  in  his  place. 

In  the  controversy  between  Wesley  and  Toplady  on 
Predestination,  &c.,  a  controversy  marked  by  the  worst 
features  of  the  time,  the  fiery  Welshman  was  put 
forward  to  take  the  leading  part  on  the  Arminian 
side.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  severity  of  Toplady's 
remarks  and  the  fierceness  of  his  attacks,  both  on  the 
character  and  teaching  of  the  veteran  preacher,  John 
Wesley,  whom  all  the  world  now  agrees  to  honour  as 
one  of  the  most  devout,  unselfish,  and  useful  men  who 
have  adorned  the  Christian  Church  in  any  age.  Eight 
manfully  did  the  "  Welsh  Cobbler,"  as  Olivers  was 
contemptuously  styled,  stand  up  for  the  doctrine  of 
free  grace.  In  his  hands  Wesley  was  quite  content  to 
leave  the  work  of  reply  to  Toplady's  Zanchius,  quietly 
remarking,  "  I  can  only  make  a  few  strictures,  and 
leave  the  young  man  Toplady  to  be  further  corrected 
by  one  that  is  fully  his  match,  Thomas  Olivers.'* 

Tyerman  ^  speaks  of  Olivers  as  a  man  of  high 
intellectual  power ;  but  "  laments  that  the  fiery  Welsh- 
man undertook  to  meet  the  furious  Predestinarian 
with  the  not  too  respectable  weapons  of  his  own 
choosing."  What  this  means  may  be  imagined  by 
the  following  sample  of  Toplady's  personalities  in 
this  strife  of  tongues.  He  says,  "Mr.  Wesley  skulks 
for  shelter  under  a  cobbler's  apron  ; "  and  again,  "  Has 
Tom  the  Cobbler  more  learning  and  integrity  than 
John  the  Priest?"    It  must  bo  confessed  that  Cobbler 

1  "Life  of  Wesley,"  vol.  iii.  p.  loS.    London  :  Hodder  &  Stoughton, 
1S70. 


304  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Tom  hit  hard  in  reply.  But  an  end  has  now  come  to 
the  discreditable  and  useless  strife ;  and,  happily,  it  is 
in  no  danger  of  revival ;  while  the  hymns  written  by 
the  pious  Calvinist^  and  the  zealous  Arminian  are 
both  alilve  sung  with  devout  emotion  wherever  the 
Saviour's  name  is  known  and  adored. 

Besides  several  controversial  tracts,  Olivers  wrote  a 
number  of  hymns,  and  is  known  as  the  composer  of 
a  number  of  Psalm-tunes.^  He  continued  his  ministry 
in  London  till  March  1799,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy- four.  He  was  buried  in  John  Wesley's  tomb, 
in  the  City  Eoad  Chapel  Yard,  London,  as  a  token  of 
the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  Wesley  and  his 
friends. 


THOMAS  HOLCROFT,  DRAMATIST, 
NOVELIST,  d^c.^ 

Thomas  Holcroft  was  a  much  more  noteworthy  man. 
At  the  time  of  the  State  Trials  he  had  made  a  consi- 
derable name  as  a  writer  of  political  novels.  In  his 
"Anna  St.  Ives"  and  "Hugh  Trevor"  he  had  exposed  the 
follies  and  vices  of  society  around  him,  and  had  set 
forth  his  own  political  views  in  a  manner  well  calcu- 
lated to  captivate  the  fancy  of  young  and  ardent 
reformers.     When  the  trial  of  Hardy  began,  Holcroft 

1  Toplady  wrote  the  fine  hymn  "  Rock  of  Ages,"  &c. 

2  "  Hdmsley"  has  been  set  down  to  Olivers  ;  but  Mr.  Benham  says 
it  was  composed  by  Martin  Madan,  Cowper's  uncle,  author  of 
"  Thelyphthora."     See  Cowper's  "Poems,"  Globe  Ed.,  Intro.,  p.  34. 

3  "  Memoirs  of  the  late  Thomas  Holcroft,  written  by  Himself,  and 
Continued  to  the  Time  of  his  Death  from  his  Diary,"  by  W.  Hazlitt. 
The  Traveller's  Library,  vol.  xvii.  1856. 


THOMAS  HOLCROFT.  305 

surrendered  himself  iu  court,  deeming  it  base  and 
unmanly  to  refuse  to  share  the  fate  of  those  whose 
political  views  he  had  warmly  espoused.  Both  friends 
and  foes  honoured  him  for  his  chivalrous  conduct  in 
the  affair.  On  the  acquittal  of  his  friends  he  was  dis- 
charged without  a  trial. 

The  life  of  Holcroft  is  as  full  of  romance  as  any  of 
those  depicted  in  his  novels.     He  was  Lorn  in  London 
in  1745.     During  the  first  six  years  of  the  boy's  life, 
his  father  was  a  shoemaker.     Giving  up  this  occupa- 
tion in    175 1,  Holcroft,  senior,  "took   to  the   road" 
as  a   hawker  and  peddler,  and  his  poor  child   led    a 
vagrant,  gipsy-like  life,  and  passed  through  privations 
which   he    could   never  afterwards   think  of  without 
shame  and  sorrow.      And    yet  he    managed   to   turn 
this  worst  period  of  his  life  to  some   account.      The 
first-hand  knowledge  it  afturded  him  of  nature    and 
human  affairs  gave  freshness  and  power  to  the  comedies 
and  dramas  written  in  later  years.     During  these  early 
years  his  father  taught  him  to  read  out  of  the  Bible, 
and  such  was  his  progress,  that  in  a  little  while  the 
daily   task    consisted  of  eleven   chapters.     These,  he 
tells   us,   he   could  often  have    missed    by  telling    a 
falsehood,   which    liis  conscience  never   would    allow ; 
and,  besides  this,  he  had  no  wish  to  evade  the  task, 
for  the  stories  of  the   Old  Testament  were  so  full  of 
interest  to  his  boyish  mind,  that  he  was  eager  to  go  on 
to  the  end.     While  his  father  and  mother  were  en- 
gaged as  hawkers,  young   Holcroft  was   sent   out   to 
beg.      In  this  miserable  employment  he  became  quite 
an  expert ;  and,  like  many  another  unfortunate  beggar, 
he  was  led  to  draw  on  his  imagination   for  tales    to 
answer  his  purpose.      On   returning   home  he   would 

u 


3o6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

recount  his  adventures,  and  repeat  the  marvellous 
stories  he  had  invented,  until  his  father,  who  at  first 
admired  the  lad's  gift  as  a  romancer,  came  to  be 
ashamed  of  allowing  him  to  lead  such  an  idle  and 
mischievous  life,  and  put  a  stop  to  his  escapades. 

After  this  he  was  employed  as  a  stable-boy  and 
jockey  at  Newmarket,  The  change  in  his  circum- 
stances thus  brought  about  was  a  very  happy  one,  for 
lie  had  now  good  fare,  a  comfortable  bed  to  sleep 
on,  decent  or  rather  smart  clothes,  of  which  he  M^as 
not  a  little  proud  ;  and,  added  to  all  this,  a  certain 
position  in  respectable  society !  His  father  had  a 
friend  at  Newmarket  who  had  a  taste  for  reading,  and 
followed  the  "  profession "  of  feeder  and  trainer  of 
gamecocks  for  the  pit.  This  man  was  struck  with 
Thomas  Holcroft's  natural  ability,  and  lent  him  books 
to  read,  such  as  the  "  Spectator "  and  "  Gulliver's 
Travels."  While  at  Newmarket  he  was  one  day  pass- 
ing a  church,  and  stopped  to  listen  to  the  music  of 
the  choir,  then  engaged  in  practice.  He  ventured  to 
enter  the  church,  and  feeling  a  strong  desire  to  learn 
to  sing,  spoke  to  the  leader,  Mr.  Langham,  who, 
finding  the  stable-boy  had  a  good  voice,  admitted 
him  into  the  choir.  He  threw  himself  so  heartily 
into  this  new  and  fascinating  study,  that  it  was  not 
long  before  he  could  read  music  and  sing  in  good 
style. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  again  went  to  live  with 
his  father,  who  had  once  more  returned  to  the  shoe- 
maker's stall,  and  lived  in  London.  Here  he  learnt 
enough  of  the  trade  to  earn  a  livelihood,  but  he 
involved  himself  in  premature  cares  by  an  imprudent 
marriage  when  only  twenty  years  of  age. 


THOMAS  HOLCROFT.  307 

And  now  the  passion  for  a  roving  life  got  the  better 
of  him,  and  quitting  the  monotony  of  a  cobbler's  room, 
he  betook  himself  to  the  stage.  For  seven  years  he 
led  the  life  of  a  strolling  player,  "  and  sounded  all 
the  depths  and  shoals  "  of  misery  incident  to  such  a 
precarious  existence. 

It  was  not  till  after  his  thirtieth  year  that  he  began 
to  acquire  settled  habits  of  study,  to  learn  the  lan- 
guages— French,  German,  and  Italian — in  which  he 
afterwards  became  a  ready  translator,  and  to  set  about 
any  kind  of  literary  work.  The  first  products  of  his 
pen  appeared  in  the  "  Whitehall  Evening  Post."  He 
was  in  his  thirty-fifth  year  when  his  first  novel, 
"  Alwyn,  or  the  Gentleman  Comedian,"  appeared.  The 
year  after  this  saw  the  issue  of  his  earliest  comedy, 
"  Duplicity,"  which  was  put  on  the  stage  at  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  and  had  a  good  run  of  success.  This 
was  followed  by  some  thirty  dramatic  pieces  of  one 
kind  or  other,  in  poetry  or  prose,  comedies  and  comic 
operas,  dramas  and  melodramas,  which  last  he  had  the 
credit  of  introducing  into  England.  The  "  Eoad  to 
Kuin  "  is  accounted,  by  some  judges  of  note,  the  best 
of  his  dramas.  Holcroft  was  a  man  of  versatile  powers 
and  great  industry.  His  natural  gifts  were  remark- 
able, and  his  extensive  knowledge  was  almost  entirely 
self-acquired.  As  already  indicated,  he  was  a  very 
prolific  author.  Besides  the  three  novels  and  the  plays 
referred  to  above,  he  issued  translations  from  the 
French  of  Toucher  d'Obsonville  and  Pierre  de  Long ; 
from  the  German,  Goethe's  "  Herman  and  Dorothea ;  " 
and  from  the  Italian.  He  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
Germany  and  France,  and  his  interesting  work,  "  Tra- 
vels into  France,"  is  one  of  his  most  valued  produc- 


3oS  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

tions.  Thomas  Holcroft  died  23rd  March  i  S09,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-four,  having  crowded  as  much  work  into 
his  eventful  life  as  most  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
time. 


JOSEPH  BLACKET,  POET,  "  THE  SON  OF 
SORROW." 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  there  were  two  young 
shoemakers  in  London  who  were  spending  their  leisure 
time  in  hard  reading  and  attempts  at  musical  compo- 
sition. One  of  them,  Kobert  Bloomfield,  a  sketch  of 
whom  has  already  been  given,^  is  known  as  widely  as 
the  English  language  itself.  The  other,  Joseph  Blachet, 
made  but  little  stir  in  the  world,  and  is  now  well-nigh 
forgotten.  He  took  to  writing  poetry  at  a  much  earlier 
age  than  Bloomfield,  who  wrote  nothing  before  his  six- 
teenth year,  while  Blacket,  if  we  may  trust  the  notes  in 
his  "Specimens  "  and  "Eemains,"  began,  very  character- 
istically, with  "  The  Sigh,"  written  at  ten  years  of  age. 
His  unhappy  life  was  brought  to  a  close  when  he  Avas 
but  twenty-four  years  old.  At  this  age  Bloomfield 
had  written  very  little  poetry,  and  "  The  Farmer's 
Boy  "  was  not  begun.     But  if  his  genius  ripened  slowly, 

^  It  may  be  thought  by  some  readers  that  Bloomfield's  brothers, 
George  and  Nathaniel,  ought  to  have  a  place  in  our  list  of  illustrious 
shoemakers.  Gem-ge,  in  his  correspondence  with  Mr.  Capel  LofFt, 
Robert's  patron,  showed  himself  a  man  of  good  sense  and  a  fair  writer. 
See  preface  to  Bloomfield's  Poems.  But  Nathaniel,  the  author  of  a 
little  volume  of  poems,  edited  by  Capel  Lofft,  1S03,  entitled,  "An  Essay 
on  War,"  in  blank  verse,  and  "  Honington  Green,  a  Ballad,"  was  not 
a  shoemaker.  He  was  a  tailor,  though  not  a  few  writers  have  made 
Byron's  mistake  of  classing  him  with  "ye  tuneful  cobblers." 


JOSEPH  BLACK ET.  309 

it  produced  fruits  far  more  valuable  than  those  pre- 
sented to  the  world  by  the  precocity  of  poor  Blacket. 
There  is  nothing  of  Blacket's  to  compare  with  "  The 
Farmer's  Boy,"  or  "  Eichard  and  Kate,"  or  "  The  Faken- 
liani  Ghost."  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  the  two 
poetical  sons  of  Crispin  were  acquainted,  and  cherished 
a  high  regard  for  each  other.  They  seem  to  have  met 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Pratt,  Blacket's  patron  and  editor, 
and  afterwards  to  have  exchanged  copies  of  each  other's 
works,  accompanied  by  friendly  letters.  What  Bloom- 
field  thought  of  his  young  friend  may  be  gathered 
from  the  following  portion  of  a  letter  :  "  The  instant  I 
received  your  volume  I  resolved  to  shake  hands  with 
you,  by  letter  at  least,  and  to  thank  you  for  a  pleasure 
of  no  common  sort.  The  '  Conflagration'  is  so  truly 
full  of  fire  that  it  almost  burns  one's  fingers  to  read 
it.  '  Saragossa '  is  a  noble  poem.  Choose  your  own 
themes,  and  let  the  master-tints  of  your  mind  have  full 
play." 

In  a  letter  to  his  friend  Mr.  Pratt,  Blacket  says 
that  he  was  born  in  1786  at  Tunstill,  five  miles 
from  Ptichmond,  in  Yorkshire.  His  father  was  a  day- 
labourer,  who  had  eight  children  to  provide  for  at  the 
time  Joseph  was  old  enough  for  school.^  It  was  there- 
fore fortunate  for  him  that  the  village  schoolmistress 
took  a  fancy  for  him,  and  taught  him  for  nothing. 
He  stayed  with  her  until  he  was  seven,  and  then  went 
to  a  school  taught  by  a  master.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
he  was  removed  to  London,  his  brother  John  having 
engaged  to  provide  a  home  for  him  and  teach  him  his 
trade  during  the  next  seven  years.  In  this  respect 
his  position  was  very  similar  to  that  of  Bloomfield, 

^Blacket's  "Remains,"  preface,  vol.  i.  pp.  62,  63.     London,  181 1. 


3IO  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

whose  brother  George  became  the  guardian  of  the  shy 
Suffolk  lad  when  he  first  went  up  to  London/  John 
Blacket  was  so  anxious  that  his  ward  should  not  for- 
get his  little  learning  that  he  often  kept  the  lad  at 
home  to  write  on  Sunday.  There  were  such  books 
in  John's  library  as  "  Josephus,"  "  Eusebius'  Church 
History,"  "  Fox's  Martyrs,"  all  of  which  were  read 
through  by  the  time  Joseph  was  fifteen  years  of  age. 
"  At  that  time,"  he  says,  "  the  drama  was  totally  un- 
known to  me;  a  play  I  had  neither  seen  nor  read." 
One  evening  a  companion  called  on  him  and  begged 
him  to  go  and  see  Kemble  play  Richard  the  Third  at 
Drury  Lane.  His  brother  John  refused  consent  at 
first,  but  yielded  at  last  to  the  clever  strategy  of  an 
appeal  made  in  a  few  impromptu  verses,  which  so 
greatly  pleased  and  surprised  the  fond  brother,  that  he 
at  once  "  gave  him  leave  to  go,  together  with  a  couple 
of  shillings  to  defray  his  expenses."  From  this  time 
forth  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the  poets 
Milton,  Pope,  Young,  Otway,  Eowe,  Beattie,  Thomp- 
son, but  especially,  and  for  a  time  almost  exclusively,  to 
Shakespeare.  As  a  young  poet  it  is  said  of  him  that 
"His  anxiety  to  produce  something  that  should  be 
thought  worthy  of  the  public  in  the  form  of  a  drama 
appears  to  have  surpassed  all  his  other  cares.  .  .  . 
Something  of  the  dramatic  kind  pervades  the  whole 
mass  of  his  papers.  I  have  traced  it  on  bills,  receipts, 
backs  of  letters,  shoe  patterns,  slips  of  paperhangings, 
grocery  wrappers,  magazine  covers,  battalion  orders  for 
the  volunteer  corps  of  St.  Pancras,  in  which  he  served, 
and  on  various  other  scraps  on  which  his  ink  could 
scarcely  be  made  to  retain  the  impression  of  his  thoughts; 

1  Blacket's  "Remains,"  preface,  vol.  i,  pp.  2-7. 


JOSEPH  BLACKET.  S'l 

yet  most  of  tliem  crowded  ou  both  sides  and   much 
interlined."  ^ 

Like  most  ardent  young  students  in  poor  circum- 
stances, Blaclcet  was  reckless  of  his  health.  His  hard 
work  by  day  and  loss  of  nightly  sleep  sowed  the  seeds 
of  the  disease  to  which  he  eventually  fell  a  victim. 
He  married  very  young,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
his  wife  when  he  was  only  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
A  sister  who  came  to  nurse  her  was  taken  ill  of 
brain  fever,  and  nearly  lost  her  life.  "  Judge  of  my 
situation,"  he  says  to  his  friend  Mr.  Pratt,  "  a  dear 
wife  stretched  on  the  bed  of  death ;  a  sister  senseless, 
whose  dissolution  I  expected  every  hour ;  an  infant 
piteously  looking  round  for  its  mother ;  creditors 
clamorous,  friends  cold  or  absent.  I  found,  like  the 
melancholy  Jaques,  that  '  when  the  deer  was  stricken 
the  herd  would  shun  him.' "  In  this  wretched  position 
he  was  obliged  to  sell  everything  to  pay  his  debts. 
No  wonder  that  he  became  a  "  son  of  sorrow,"  and  that 
most  of  the  poetry  written  after  this  date  bears  the 
marks  of  gloom  and  distraction  of  mind.  Yet  it 
must  be  confessed  that  when  the  young  poet  sought 
to  enter  on  his  literary  career  by  the  publication  of 
his  poems,  he  had  no  cause  to  complain  of  want  of 
iriends.  Mr.  Marchant,  a  printer,  took  kindly  to  him, 
and  published  his  first  copies  of  "  Specimens  "  free  of 
expense.  It  was  he  who  introduced  the  young  aspirant 
lor  poetical  fame  to  Mr.  Pratt,  the  editor  of  the 
"  Eemains,"  who  seems,  from  the  letters  published,  to 
have  been  a  man  of  considerable  means,  but  not  of 
the  best  judgment  in  literary  affairs.  This  friend  had 
the  most  exalted  notions  of  the  "  genius  "  of  his  proteg^ 

^  Editor  of  Blacket's  "Reinaius,'^  Lettors,  pp.  9,  10. 


312  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

showed  him  the  utmost  kindness  till  the  day  of  his 
death,  and  took  charge  of  the  funds  raised  by  the 
publication  of  his  "  Eemains,"  investing  them  in  behalf 
of  the  poet's  orphan  child.  In  August  1 809  Blacket 
removed  to  Seaham,  Durham,  to  the  house  of  a  brother- 
in-law,  gamekeeper  to  Sir  Ealph  Milbanke  of  Castle 
Eden.  The  baronet  and  his  family  were  very  kind 
to  him  ;  a  horse  was  lent  him ;  dainty  food  was  sent 
down  for  him  from  the  castle ;  doctors  were  procured 
who  attended  him  gratis ;  Lady  Milbanke  and  Miss 
Milbanke,  afterwards  Lady  Byron,  visited  him  con- 
stantly, and  interested  others  in  his  behalf;  amongst 
them  the  Duchess  of  Leeds,  who  procured  a  large 
number  of  subscribers  to  his  volume  of  "  Specimens."  "^ 
No  effort  was  spared  by  either  doctors  or  friends  to 
save  his  life  and  to  ensure  his  reputation  as  a  poet ; 
but  to  no  purpose,  as  it  seemed,  in  either  case.  He 
died  of  consumption  on  the  23  rd  of  September  18 10, 
at  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  and  was  buried  in 
Seaham  churchyard  by  his  friend  Mr.  Wallis,  rector 
of  the  parish,  who  had  been  a  Christian  counsellor 
and  comforter  to  the  young  poet  during  his  long  illness. 
At  his  own  request.  Miss  Milbanke  selected  the  spot 
for  his  grave,  and  caused  a  suitable  monument  to  be 
placed  over  it,  on  which  were  inscribed  the  lines,  taken 
from  his  own  poem,  "  Eeflections  at  Midnight :  " — 

"  Shut  from  the  light,  'mid  awful  gloom, 
Let  clay-cold  honour  rest  in  state  ; 
And,  from  the  decorated  tomb, 
Receive  the  tributes  of  the  great. 

1  That  these  generous  friends  laboured  to  some  purpose  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  after  Blacket's  little  legacies  and  funeral 
expenses  were  paid,  j^gj,  los.  remained  over  for  the  benefit  of  his  child. 
"Remains,"  p.  loi. 


DAVID  SERVICE  AND  OTHERS.  313 

"  Let  me,  when  bade  with  life  to  part 
And  in  my  narrow  mansion  sleep, 
Receive  a  tribute  from  the  heart. 
Nor  bribe  one  sordid  eye  to  weep." 


DAVID  SERVICE,  AND  OTHER  SONGSTERS 
OF  THE  COBBLERS   STALL. 

David  Service  of  Yarmouth  represents  a  pretty  nume- 
rous class  of  songsters  of  the  cobbler's  stall,  worthy 
men  in  their  way,  but  writers  of  inferior  merit,  of 
whom  much  cannot  be  said.  Such  writers  were  John 
Foster  of  Winteringhara,  Lincolnshire,  who  owed  the 
publication  of  his  "Serious  Poems,"  in  1793,  to  the 
kindness  of  the  vicar  of  the  parish ;  J.  Johnstone,  a 
Scotchman,  who  published  a  small  volume  of  poems  in 
1823;  the  Eev.  Ja??ic5  Nichol  of  Traquair,  Selkirk- 
shire, who  in  his  shoemaking  days  "  published  two  or 
three  volumes  of  poetry."  ^  Gaviii  Wilson,  of  Edin- 
burgh, who,  in  1788,  published  "A  Collection  of 
Masonic  Songs,"  of  whom  Campbell  says  :  "  I  knew 
Gavin  Wilson ;  he  was  an  honest,  merry  fellow,  and  a 
good  boot,  leather-leg,  arm,  and  hand  maker,  but  as 
sorry  a  poetaster  as  ever  tried  a  couplet."^  James 
Devlin,  a  man  of  versatile  gifts  and  most  irregular 
habits,  who  by  turns  wrote  poetry,  corresponded  for 
the  Daily  News,  and  contributed  to  the  Spectator, 
Builder,  and  Notes  and  Queries,  and  died  about  twenty 
years  ago  in  poverty  and  obscurity.^     These  men,  as 

^  "Crispin  Anecdotes,"  pp.  87,88. 

2  Ibid. 

^  "Campion's  Delightful  His^tory,"  p.  Si. 


314  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

regards  their  literary  merit  and  fame,  excepting  per- 
haps the  last,  are  well  represented  by  the  herdboy 
from  the  banks  of  the  Clyde,  who,  after  serving  his 
time  as  a  siito?'  at  Greenock,  journeyed  south  in  search 
of  work,  and  settled  at  Yarmouth,  Norfolk,  and  there, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  published  a  "  Eural  Poem," 
called  "The  Caledonian  Herdboy,"  in  1802.  Two 
years  after  he  was  encouraged  by  his  friends  to  issue 
"  The  Wild  Harp's  Murmurs  "  and  "  St.  Crispin,  or  the 
Apprentice  Boy,"  the  former  being  dedicated  to  that 
friend  of  unknown  young  poets,  Capel  Lofft,  the  friend 
of  the  Bloomfields  and  Ivirke  White.  His  last  ad- 
venture in  this  line  bore  the  romantic  title  "A 
Voyage  and  Travels  in  the  Eegion  of  the  Brain." 
This  verse  occurs  in  one  of  his  publications — 

" '  Apollo,  why,'  a  matron  cried, 
'  Are  poets  all  so  poor  1 ' 
'They  write  for  fame,'  Apollo  cried, 
'And  seldom  ask  for  more.'  " 

But  this  2^oet,  it  is  to  be  feared,  obtained  neither 
wealth  nor  fame. 

He  became  an  inmate  of  the  Yarmouth  Workhouse, 
and  died  there  on  the  13th  of  March  1825.  And 
his  "  memorial,"  like  that  of  many  another  local  cele- 
brity, has  well-nigh  perished  with  him. 


/OlfJV  STRUTHERS,  POET,  EDITOR,  ^c. 

John  Struthers,  a  Scottish  poet,   the  friend  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  and  Joanna  Baillie,  followed  the  trade  of 


JOHN  STRUTHERS.  315 

a  slioemaker  for  many  years  after  he  had  heguu  to 
gain  a  literary  reputation.  He  was  born  at  Kilbride 
in  Lanarkshire  in  1776,  and  learned  his  trade  in  his 
own  home,  for  his  father  was  a  member  of  the  same 
craft.  Struthers  is  best  known  in  Scotland  as  the 
author  of  "  The  Poor  Man's  Sabbath,"  a  simple,  unpre- 
tentious poem,  which  appeared  in  1804,  and  rapidly 
passed  through  several  editions.^  His  success  in  this 
first  venture  led  to  the  publication  of  "  The  Peasant's 
Death,"  in  1806;  "The  Winter's  Day,"  in  181  i  ; 
"The  Plough,"  in  18 16;  "The  Dechmont,"  in  1836. 
He  was  the  editor  of  a  Scottish  anthology,  called  "  The 
Harp  of  Caledonia,"  in  three  volumes,  to  which  his 
friends  Sir  Walter  Scott  and  Joanna  Baillie  "  sent 
voluntary  contributions."  He  wrote  a  history  of 
Scotland  from  the  Union,  1707  to  1827,  by  which 
his  reputation  was  greatly  enhanced.  A  considerable 
number  of  the  biographies  in  Chambers's  "  Lives  of 
Illustrious  Scotchmen  "  are  from  his  pen.  For  several 
years  he  held  the  position  of  press-corrector  for  Khull, 
Blackie,  &  Co.,  of  Glasgow.  In  1832  he  was  made 
librarian  in  Stirling's  Library,  which  office  he  held 
until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death  in  1853.  His 
poetical  works  were  collected  and  published  by  himself 
in  1850.  He  is  spoken  of  as  an  excellent  specimen 
of  a  shrewd,  intelligent,  strong-minded  Scotchman."  " 

1  Of  "The  Sabbatli,"  a  writer  in  the  Quarterly  Reriew,  January 
1S31  (p.  77),  says,  it  is  "  a  poem  of  which  unaffected  piety  is  not  the 
only  inspiration,  and  which  but  for  its  unfortunate  coincidence  of  sub- 
ject with  the  nearly  contemporary  one  of  the  late  amiable  James 
Grahame,  would  probably  have  attracted  a  considerable  share  of  favour, 
even  in  these  hypercritical  days." 

2  "  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Biography."     Glasgow:  Blackie  &  Co. 


3i6  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

JOHN  ONE  ILL,  THE  POET  OF 
TEMPERANCE. 

The  name  of  Joliu  O'lSTeill  is  intimately  associated 
with  that  of  George  Cruickshank  in  the  work  of  tem- 
perance reform ;  for  not  only  did  Cruickshank  prove 
himself  a  friend  to  the  poor  shoemaker  and  poet  by 
illustrating  his  little  poem  entitled  "  The  Blessings  of 
Temperance,"  but  it  is  with  good  reason  declared  that 
these  illustrations  and  the  scenes  depicted  in  the 
poem  itself  suggested  to  the  artist  the  leading  ideas 
worked  out  in  his  series  of  plates  entitled  "  The 
Bottle."  Some  of  these  sketches,  as,  for  example,  "  The 
Upas  Tree  "  and  "  The  Eaving  Maniac  and  the  Drivel- 
ling Fool,"  derive  their  titles  from  O'lSFeill's  language 
in  the  poem  itself.  So  closely,  indeed,  do  the  graphic 
sketches  of  the  artist  and  the  poet  correspond,  that 
O'Neill  in  the  later  editions  of  his  little  work  sur- 
named  it  "  A  Companion  to  Cruickshank's  '  Bottle.' "  ^ 
On  its  first  appearance  the  poem  was  entitled  "  The 
Drunkard,"  and  received  favourable  notice  in  the  pages 
of  the  Athenccum  and  the  Spectator,  besides  other 
journals  and  papers  of  less  literary  merit.  "  The 
Drunkard  "  was  not  his  first  work,  but  it  was  his  best, 
and  the  one  by  which  his  name  became  known  and 
honoured  among  teetotallers.  As  early  as  1 8  2  i  he 
had  published  a  drama  entitled  "  Alva."  "  The  Sor- 
rows of  Memory "  and  a  number  of  Irish  melodies 
belonging  to  different  periods  in  his  life  were  issued 

^  "  The  Blessings  of  Temperance,  Illustrated  in  the  Life  and  Refor- 
mation of  the  Drunkard  :  a  Poem  by  John  O'Neill,  &c.,  forming  a 
Companion  to  Cruickshank's  'Bottle,'  with  etchings  from  his  pencil.' 
London  :  W.  Tweedie.     1S51.     Fourth  edition. 


JOHN  O'NEILL.  317 

a  little  later.  His  friend  the  Eev.  Isaac  Doxsey,  iu 
a  sketch  prefixed  to  "  The  Blessings  of  Temperance," 
speaks  of  O'Neill  as  the  author  of  seven  dramatic 
pieces,  a  collection  of  poems,  and  a  novel  called  "  Mary 
of  Avonmore,  or  the  Foundling  of  the  Beach,"  and  of 
numerous  contributions  to  various  periodicals. 

John  O'Neill  was  an  Irishman,  born  at  Waterford 
on  the   8th  of   January   1777.      His   mother  was  in 
wretched  circumstances  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  having 
been  deserted  by  a  worthless  husband,  who  left  her  and 
her  little  family  to  the  care  of  fortune.      As  a  boy  he 
was  very  slow  to  learn,  and  gave  no  indication  of  the 
gifts   he  afterwards   displayed.      He  and  his  brother, 
much  his  senior,  were  apprenticed   to  a  relative  who 
acted  as  a  sort  of  guardian  to  the  boys.     O'Neill's  mind 
was  first  awakened  to  a  love  for  poetry  by  a  drama  in 
rhyme  entitled  "  The  Battle  of  Aughrim,"  by  a  shoe- 
maker named  Ansell,  which  he  committed  to  memory. 
On  leaving  the  service  of  his  first  master  he  became 
an  apprentice  to  his  brother,  but  soon  quarrelled  and 
the  indentures  were  thrown  into  the  fire.     During  the 
Eebellion  of  1798  and  1799,  when  food  was  at  famine 
prices,  he  lived  in  great  poverty  at  Dublin  and  Carrick- 
on-Suir ;  and  in  the  latter  place,  notwithstanding  the 
miserable  state  of  his  affairs,  he   found  some  one  with 
love  and  courage   sufficient  to  enable  her  to  become 
his  wife.      It  was  at  this  time  also  that  he  began   to 
read  in  earnest,  chiefly  poetry,  though  nothing  came 
amiss,  and,  as  a   matter   of    course,  every  book  was 
borrowed.     The  first  fruits   of    his   poetic   genius,   if 
the  term  be  permissible,  were  presented  to  the  world 
in   a  little   satirical  poem   written  at   Carrick,  "  The 
Clothier's    Looking- Glass."      This    was    designed    to 


3i8  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

expose  what  was  regarded  as  the  cruelty  and  heart- 
lessness  of  the  master-clothiers  in  uniting  to  reduce 
the  wages  of  the  men.  O'Neill  was  induced  to  con- 
tribute to  this  trade  dispute  by  a  man  named  Stacey,  a 
printer,  under  whose  guidance  the  shoemaker  acquired 
some  knowledge  of  the  art  of  printing,  and  set  up  a 
press.  The  press  was  a  capital  adjunct  to  the  pen, 
which  the  active  young  shoemaker  and  amateur  printer 
was  now  using  pretty  freely. 

At  this  time  he  became  a  strong  political  partisan, 
and  used  both  his  pen  and  press  in  an  election  contest 
in  favour  of  General  Matthew,  brother  of  the  Earl  of 
Llandaff.  It  was  the  Earl's  promise  of  patronage  that 
induced  O'lSTeill  to  leave  Ireland  and  settle  in  London, 
some  time  in  1 8  1 2  or  1 8  i  3.  This  promise  was  never 
redeemed,  for  the  Earl  about  this  time  became  a  resi- 
dent in  Naples.  Disheartened  by  his  disappointment, 
the  poor  shoemaker  dropped  for  a  time  all  reading  and 
literary  toil  and  aspiration,  and  stuck  doggedly  and 
sullenly  to  his  last. 

For  seven  years  he  seems  to  have  neither  read  nor 
written  anything.  At  length  a  long  period  of  "  en- 
forced leisure,"  occasioned  by  an  accident  which  made 
work  with  the  awl  impossible,  compelled  him  to  be- 
take himself  to  reading,  and  thus  his  mind  was  roused 
from  its  torpor.  An  English  translation  of  a  volume 
of  Spanish  novels  fell  in  his  way,  and  his  perusal  sug- 
gested the  subject  for  the  drama  "  Alva,"  w^hich,  as  we 
have  said,  he  published  in  1821.  His  other  works 
are  named  above.  None  of  these  seem  to  have  brought 
him  much  profit,  neither  were  his  attempts  at  "  business 
for  himself,"  once  as  a  master-shoemaker  and  again 
as  a  huckster,  at  all  successful.     On  several  occasions 


JOHN  YOUNGER.  3 '9 

he  was  assisted  by  grants  from  the  Literary  Fund,  and 
was  thankful  for  the  kindly  aid  afforded  him  by  his 
friends  the  teetotallers. 

In  spite  of  all  his  hard  work  as  a  shoemaker,  and 
his  many  little  literary  adventures  (perhaps  because 
of  theyn),  he  was  in  his  old  age  a  very  poor  man.  Mr. 
Doxsey  says  in  185 1,  "John  O'Neill  and  his  aged 
partner  dwell  in  a  miserable  garret  in  St.  Giles's."  In 
his  poor  earthly  estate  he  had  one  comfort,  at  all 
events — he  did  not  "  suffer  as  an  evil-doer,"  and  he 
could  feel  pretty  sure  that  he  had  done  not  a  little  by 
his  graphic  pen  and  rude  eloquence  to  turn  many  a 
sinner  from  a  life  of  misery  and  shame.  His  death 
occurred  on  the  3d  of  February  1858. 


JOHN  YOUNGER,  SHOEMAKER,  FLY-FISHER, 
AND  POET. 

In  i860  a  charming  little  book  on  "  Eiver  Angling 
for  Salmon  and  Trout "  ^  was  added  to  our  extensive 
angling  literature  by  a  devout  follower  of  Isaac  Wal- 
ton. The  preface  showed  that  it  was  the  work  of  a 
Lowland  Scotchman,  who  was  accustomed  to  divide  his 
time  between  the  two  "  gentle  "  occupations  of  shoe- 
making  and  fishing, and  that  this  mau,/cy/m  Youmjcr ,\\'a,^ 
an  enthusiasm  for  other  things  besides  making  fishing- 
boots  and  fishing-rods  and  lines,  and  the  sport  of  the 
river-side.  He  was  a  zealous,  and,  we  had  almost 
said,  a  desperate  politician.  He  made  corn-law  rhymes, 
which  came  into  the  hands  and  drew  forth  praise  from 

1  Kelso :  Rutherford.     Edinburgh  :  Blackwood  &  Sons. 


320  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

the  pen  of  Ebenezer  Elliott,  -who  sent  the  best  copy  of 
his  works  as  a  present  to  the  poetical  shoemaker.  In 
1834  Younger  tried  the  public  with  a  volume  of  verse 
under  the  quaint  title,  "  Thoughts  as  they  Eise."  ^ 
But  the  public,  like  the  shy  fish  of  some  of  his  own 
Scottish  rivers,  would  not  "  rise  "  to  his  bait,  for  the 
work  fell  uncommonly  fiat.  He  was  much  more 
successful  with  his  "  Eiver  Angling,"  which  appeared 
first  in  1840,  and  again,  with  a  sketch  of  his  life, 
in  i860.  In  1847  John  Younger  won  the  second 
prize  for  an  essay  on  "  The  Temporal  Advantages  of 
the  Sabbath  to  the  Working-Classes,"  and  it  was  a 
proud  day  for  him  and  his  neighbours  at  St.  Boswell's 
when  he  set  off  to  go  up  to  London  to  receive  his  re- 
ward of  ^  I  5  at  the  hands  of  Lord  Shaftesbury  in  the 
big  meeting  at  Exeter  Hall.  Younger,  who  was  all 
his  life  a  brother  of  the  craft,  was  born  at  Longnewton, 
in  the  parish  of  Ancrum,  5th  July  1785.  He  died 
and  was  buried  at  St.  Boswell's  in  June  i860.  As 
we  are  writing  we  observe  that  his  autobiography "  has 
just  been  published,  concerning  which  a  writer  in  the 
"  Athenseuni  "  remarks,"  "  John  Younger,  shoemaker, 
fiy-fisher,  and  poet,  has  left  a  Life  which  is  certainly 
worth  reading ;  "  and  adds,  "  There  is  something  more 
in  him  than  a  vein  of  talent  sufficient  to  earn  a  local 
celebrity."  With  this  opinion  agree  the  remarks  of 
the  "  Scotsman  "  and  the  "  Sunderland  Times,"  which 
said  of  him  at  the  time  of  his  death,  "  One  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  of  the  population  of  the  South  of 
Scotland,  whether  as  a  genial  writer  of  prose  or  verse 

^  Glasgow,  1834. 

^  "Autobiography  of  John  Younger,  Shoemaker,  of  St.  Boswell's." 
Kelso:  J.  &  J.  H.  Rutherford,  i8Sl. 
3  6th  May  1SS2,  p.  564. 


CHARLES  CROCKER.  321 

or  a  man  of  high  conversational  powers  and  clear  com- 
mon sense,  the  shoemaker  of  St.  Boswell's  had  few  or 
no  rivals  in  the  South  ;  "  and  "  Nature  made  him  a  poet, 
a  philosopher,  and  a  nobleman ;  society  made  him  a 
cobbler  of  shoes."  He  was  certainly  a  most  original 
character,  and  his  originality  and  genius  appear  in 
every  chapter  of  his  Autobiography, 


CHARLES  CROCKER,  "  THE  POOR  COBBLER 
OF  CHICHESTERr 

Chaeles  Crocker,  who  was  born  in  Chichester,  22nd 
June  1797,  was  the  son  of  poor  parents,  who  could 
not  afford  to  send  him  to  school  after  he  was  seven 
years  of  age,  but  they  were  assisted  by  friends  who 
procured  him  admission  to  the  Chichester  "  Greycoat 
School."  He  was  sent  before  the  age  of  twelve  to 
work  as  a  shoemaker's  apprentice.  "  This  arrange- 
ment," he  says  in  the  brief  sketch  of  his  life  which  is 
given  in  the  preface  to  his  poems,  ^  "  was  perhaps  rather 
favourable  than  otherwise  to  the  improvement  of  my 
mind ;  for  the  sedentary  labour  necessary  in  this  kind 
of  employment,  while  it  keeps  the  hands  fully  engaged, 
gives  little  or  no  exercise  to  the  mental  faculties, 
consequently  the  mind  of  a  person  so  employed  may, 
without  any  hindrance  to  his  work,  find  occupation  or 
amusement  in  intellectual  or  imaginative  pursuits." 
His  youthful  days  were  spent  in  hard  work  and  study. 
Spite  of  his  schooling,  grammar  presented  a  great  dif- 

^  "The  Vale  of  Obscurity,  and  Otlier  Poems,"  by  Charles  Crocker, 
3rd  edition.     Chichester  :  W.  H.  ^lason,  1S41. 

X 


322  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

ficulty  when  he  began  to  apply  himself  seriously  to 
literary  work.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  commit  an 
entire  book  to  memory  in  his  efforts  to  master  the  art. 
He  mentions  a  lecture  on  Milton  by  Thelwall  as 
having  given  him  much  help  in  trying  to  understand 
the  structure  of  English  verse.  Besides  Milton,  Cowper, 
Collins,  and  Goldsmith  became  favourites,  and  he  com- 
mitted large  portions  of  their  writings  to  memory,  and 
so  learned  to  frame  a  style.  The  first  volume  of  his 
poems  was  published  in  1830,  and  the  third  in  1841. 
He  also  wrote  "A  Visit  to  Chichester  Cathedral," 
which  passed  through  several  editions.  Crocker  died 
in  1861.^ 

1  It  is  perhaps  best,  on  the  whole,  not  to  speak  of  living  men  in  such 
a  work  as  this.  An  exception  has,  however,  been  made  to  such  a  rule 
in  the  rare  instances  of  the  famous  politician,  poet,  and  preacher 
Thomas  Cooper,  and  the  American  poet  Whittier.  If  the  writer  did 
not  feel  the  necessity  of  adhering,  in  the  main,  to  this  rule,  it  would 
be  easy  enough  for  him  to  cite  many  instances  in  proof  of  the  state- 
ment that  the  literary  reputation  of  shoemakers  is  being  well  sustained 
in  the  present  day  by  writers  in  prose  and  poetry,  who  either  have 
been  or  still  are  working  at  the  stall.  Most  Scottish  sutors,  one  would 
think,  have  heard  of  the  author  of  "  Homely  Words  and  Songs  "  and 
"  Lays  and  Lectures  for  Scotia's  Daughters  of  Industry  "  (Edinburgh, 
1853  and  1856).  London  craftsmen  know  and  honour  the  names  of 
J.  B.  Rowe,  a  political  writer  and  poet,  and  John  B.  Leno,  the  editor 
of  "St.  Crispin,"  and  author  of  the  "  Drury  Lane  Lyrics,"  "Tracts  for 
Rich  and  Poor,"  and  "King  Labour's  Song-Book"  (London,  1S67-6S  ; 
see  also  "  Kimburton,  and  Other  Poems,"  London,  1S75-76) ;  and  the 
shoemaker  of  Wellinborough,  John  Askham,  by  his  "  Sonnets  of  the 
Months,"  "Descriptive  Poems,"  and  "Judith"  (Northampton  :  Taylor 
&  Son,  1863,  1 866,  1868,  and  1875),  has  made  a  reputation  which  is 
not  entirely  confined  to  his  own  locality,  nor  to  the  members  of  the 
craft  to  which  he  belongs. 


GEORGE  FOX. 


PEEACHEES. 


323 


GEORGE  FOX,  FOUNDER  OF  THE  SOCIETY 
OF  FRIENDS. 

The  name  of  George  Fox  belongs  to  the  list  of  prac- 
tical philanthropists ;  for  Eox  may  be  said  to  have 
given  himself  body  and  soul  to  the  good  of  his  fellow- 
men,  and  to  have  lived  the  life  of  a  martyr  to  the 
cause  to  which  he  felt  called  to  consecrate  himself. 
He  was  born  in  1624,  the  year  in  which  Jacob 
Boehmen  died.  We  are  the  more  inclined  to  notice 
this  coincidence  because  the  character  and  work  of 
George  Eox  suggest  a  comparison  between  tlie  two 
men.  Both  men  were  pietists  and  mystics ;  but  in 
this  alone  are  they  alike.  When  we  look  at  their 
life-work,  we  are  at  once  reminded  of  their  nationality. 
The  German  is  speculative,  the  Englishman  is  prac- 
tical ;  the  one  turns  his  dreams  and  visions  into  books, 
and  the  other  into  acts,'' 

George  Eox's  early  life  was  spent  near  his  native 
jjlace,  Drayton,  in  Leicestershire,  with  a  man  who 
combined  the  occupations  of  slioemaker  and  dealer  in 
wool  and  cattle.  After  eight  years'  service  with  this 
master,  the  young  shoemaker,  then  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, clad  in  a  leathern  doublet  of  his  own  making, 
went  forth  into  the  world  as  a  preacher  and  reformer. 
He  was  led  to  adopt  this  life  by  what  he  regarded  as 

'  All  the  writings  of  George  Fox  were  published  after  his  death. 
See  below. 


324  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

a  voice  from  Heaven.      He  had  been  to  a  fair,  and  was 
grieved  by  the  intemperance  of  two  of  his  youthful 
friends  whom  he  saw  there.      In  his  "  Journal "  he 
speaks  of  the  effect  this  sight  produced  upon  his  mind, 
and  the  resolve  to  which  it  led  him.      "  I  went  away," 
he  says,  "  and  when  I  had  done  my  business,  returned 
home ;  but  I  did  not  go  to  bed  that  night,  nor  could  I 
sleep,  but  sometimes  walked  up  and  down,  and  some- 
times prayed  and  cried  to  the  Lord,  who  said  unto  me, 
"  Thou  seest  how  many  young  people  go  together  into 
vanity,  and  old  people  into  the  earth ;  thou  must  for- 
sake all,  young  and  old,  keep  out  of  all,  and  be  a 
stranger  to  all."     After  living  the  life  of  a  wandering 
preacher  for  a  few  years,  he  was  induced  to  return 
home  for  a  short  time,  but  the  voice  from  Heaven 
forbade  his  resting,  and  summoned  him  again  into  the 
Lord's  vineyard.      In    164S,  when   only  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  he  began  to  preach  in  Manchester,  and  to 
gather  round  him  a  number  of  adherents.     From  Man- 
Chester  he  went  on  a  tour  through  the  northern  counties 
of  England.     Two  years  after  this  his  followers  began 
to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Quakers.     This  term  was 
first  used  by  Justice  Bennet  of  Derby,  before  whom 
Fox  was  cited  for  disturbing  the  peace.     In  1 6  5  5    he 
was  summoned  to  appear  before  Cromwell,  who  dis- 
missed the   Leicestersliire   shoemaker   as   a   harmless 
enthusiast,    whose    attempts    at    moral    and    religious 
reform  could  not  do  anything  but  good  among  the 
people.      In  fact,  Cromwell,  a  sturdy  Puritan  and  a 
religious  enthusiast  himself,  was  deeply  moved  by  the 
spiritual  fervour  of  the  simple-hearted  preacher;  for 
Fox,  who  never  feared  the  face  of  any  man,  did  not 
fail   to   speak    his    mind    to    Cromwell    on    religious 


GEORGE  FOX.  325 

matters.  As  the  preacher  left  the  room,  the  Protector 
said  to  him,  "  Come  again  to  my  house,  for  if  thou 
and  I  were  but  an  hour  of  a  day  together,  we  should 
be  nearer  one  to  the  other." 

In  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  when  the  anti-puritan 
reaction  set  in,  Fox  fared  far  worse  than  before.  Time 
after  time  he  was  thrown  into  prison  for  speaking  in 
the  "  steeple-houses  "  (churches)  and  disturbing  public 
worship.  It  was  not  at  all  an  uncommon  thing  for 
the  rough  preacher,  clad  in  his  leathern  doublet,  to 
stand  up  in  church  while  service  was  going  on,  and 
rebuke  the  lukewarmness  of  the  minister  and  the 
formalism  of  the  worshippers.  This  he  conceived  to 
be  part  of  the  mission  to  which  the  spirit-voice  had 
called  him.  N"or  did  he  expect  to  be  allowed  to  dis- 
charge it  without  bringing  down  the  hand  of  the  civil 
authorities  upon  his  own  head.  But  he  had  counted 
the  cost,  and  was  prepared  to  suffer.  A  large  part  of 
his  time  was  spent  in  jail,  where  he  underwent  terrible 
hardships  from  want  of  food  and  clothing.  Nothing, 
however,  could  damp  his  ardour,  or  make  him  "  dis- 
obedient unto  the  heavenly  vision."  He  was  no 
sooner  at  large  than  he  began  again  to  deliver  his 
message,  calliiif,^  on  men  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  Christ 
within,  and  to  reform  their  lives.  Surely  nothing 
could  have  been  more  pure,  more  simple,  and  more 
unselfish  than  the  life  of  this  devout  and  eccentric 
preacher  of  the  gospel  of  love,  and  peace,  and  truth ; 
yet  he  was  hounded  from  jail  to  jail  by  the  bigots  of 
his  day  as  if  he  had  been  a  common  vagrant  or  thief. 
The  sufferings  he  endured  at  the  hands  of  furious 
mobs  are  often  recorded  in  his  journal.  These  he 
bore  with  the  utmost  meekness,  as  a  firm  believer  in 


326  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

the  doctrine  of  non-resistance  to  evil.  Once  when  he 
had  been  half  killed,  and  the  mob  stood  round  him 
as  he  lay  upon  the  floor,  he  says,  "  I  lay  still  a  little 
while,  and  the  power  of  the  Lord  sprang  through  me, 
and  eternal  refreshings  revived  me,  so  that  I  stood 
up  again  in  the  strengthening  power  of  the  eternal 
God,  and  stretchmg  out  my  arms  amongst  them,  I 
said,  '  Strike  again !  here  are  my  arms,  my  head,  my 
cheeks  ! '  Then  they  began  to  fall  out  among  them- 
selves." The  distinctive  principles  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  of  which  George  Fox  was  the  founder,  are 
too  well  known  to  need  description  here.  In  1669 
Fox  married  the  widow  of  Judge  Fell.  After  visitincj 
Ireland,  America,  Holland,  Denmark,  and  Prussia,  this 
apostle  of  the  seventeenth  century  returned  to  Eng- 
land, and  died  in  London,  January  13,  1691,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven. 

Spite  of  all  his  so-called  vagaries,  his  want  of  educa- 
tion and  culture  and  grasp  of  intellect,  the  Leicester- 
shire shoemaker,  by  dint  of  moral  earnestness  and 
undaunted  courage,  succeeded  in  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  a  religious  society,  which  in  proportion  to  its 
numbers  has  exerted  a  greater  moral  influence  than 
any  other  denomination  of  Christians.  His  "  Journal," 
which  is  one  of  the  most  singular  records  of  mental 
experience  and  missionary  adventure  ever  written,  was 
first  published  in  1694.  His  "  Epistles"  were  printed 
in  1698,  and  his  "Doctrinal  Pieces"  in  1706. 


THOMAS  SHILLITOE.  327 

THOMAS  SHILLITOE,    THE   SHOEMAKER 
WHO  STOOD  BEFORE  KINGS. 

The  term  "  calling,"  as  applied  to  the  trade  or  occupa- 
tion a  man  follows,  is,  or  rather  was,  originally  sup- 
posed to  indicate  a  belief  that  he  is  called  and  appointed 
of  God  to  follow  it.  This  belief  underlies  the  teaching 
of  the  Church  Catechism.-^  How  far  it  prevails  now- 
a-days  it  would  be  hard  to  tell.  The  term  seems  to 
have  survived  the  belief  which  gave  rise  to  it ;  for  one 
does  not  often  meet  with  instances  outside  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  in  which  men  regard  their  daily  avoca- 
tion as  a  veritable  "  calling."  This,  however,  was  the 
case  with  Thomas  Shillitoc,  who  was  evidently  as  well 
satisfied  of  his  "  call "  to  be  a  shoemaker  as  of  his 
Divine  commission  to  stand  before  kings  and  rulers 
as  a  witness  for  the  truth  of  God.  This  devout  man 
would  have  had  no  hesitation,  we  apprehend,  in  the 
simplicity  and  strength  of  his  conviction  about  the 
matter,  to  speak  of  himself  as  "  called  to  be  "  a  shoe- 
maker. He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
a  follower,  and  indeed  a  very  close  follower,  in  the 
spirit  and  method  of  his  life-work,  of  the  apostolic 
George  Fox.  Shillitoe's  "Journal"  will  often  remind 
the  reader  of  the  records  and  experiences  of  the  shoe- 
maker of  Leicestershire. 

Thomas  Shillitoe  was  born  in  Holborn,  London,  in 
1754.  His  father,  who  had  been  librarian  to  the 
Society  of  Gray's  Inn,  became  the  landlord  of  the 
"  Three  Tuns  "  public-house,  Islington,  when  Thomas 

^  See   answer   to  the  question,    "What  is  thy  duty  towards  thy 
neijrhbourV" 


328  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  "  Merry  Islington  " 
was  then  a  village,  and  a  favourite  resort  of  idlers 
from  the  great  city.  Sundays  were  the  busiest  days 
of  the  week,  and  were  chiefly  spent  by  the  boy  in 
waiting  on  his  father's  customers.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  became  an  apprentice  to  a  grocer,  whose 
failure  very  soon  compelled  Thomas  to  return  home. 
About  this  time  he  began  to  attend  the  meetings  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  This  led  to  serious  thought 
and  prayer,  and  the  resolve  to  lead  a  Christian  life 
and  unite  himself  with  these  earnest  Christian  people. 
"  His  father,  finding  he  was  thus  minded,  was  greatly 
displeased,  and  told  him  he  would  rather  have  followed 
him  to  the  grave  than  he  should  have  gone  among 
the  Quakers,  and  he  was  determined  he  should  at 
once  quit  his  house."  But  the  youth  was  prepared 
for  such  a  severe  trial  as  this  by  that  strong  faith 
in  Divine  providence  which  formed  the  most  marked 
feature  of  his  character  throughout  the  rest  of  his 
life.  Xor  was  his  faith  unrewarded,  for,  on  the  very 
day  on  which  he  bade  good-bye  to  his  father's  roof,  a 
situation  was  offered  him  in  a  banking-house  in  Lom- 
bard Street.  Here  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty- 
four  years  of  age. 

He  was  at  this  time  very  anxious  to  become  a 
preacher,  but  dreaded  the  danger  of  "  running  before 
he  was  sent,"  and  therefore  he  waited  for  the  Divine 
voice  bidding  him  "  Go  forth."  But  before  he  could 
be  made  fit  for  this  great  work  he  must  learn  to 
humble  himself  and  take  up  the  cross.  The  banking- 
house  and  its  surroundings  must  be  forsaken ;  he  must 
go  forth  like  Moses  into  the  land  of  Midiau,  like  Paul 
into  Arabia,  and  be  prepared  by  simpler  ways  of  life 


THOMAS  SHILLITOE.  329 

for  the  stern   duties   of  the  ministry  of   God's  word. 
And  so  it  came  to  pass,  he  tells  us,  that  one  Sunday 
whilst  in  earnest  prayer  that  the  Lord  would  be  pleased 
to  dhect  him,  "  He  in  mercy,  I  believe,   heard  my 
cries,  and  answered  my  supplications,  pointing  out  to 
me  the  business  I  was  to  be  willing  to  take  to  for  a 
future  livelihood  as  intelligibly  to  my  inward  ear  as 
ever  words  were  expressed  clearly  and  intelligibly  to 
my  outward  ear — that  I  must  be  willing  to  humble 
myself  and  learn  the   trade    of  a   shoemaker.      This 
caused  me  much  distress  of  mind,  as  my  salary  had 
been  small,  and  having  been  obliged  to  make  a  respect- 
able appearance,  I   had  but   little  means  to  pay  for 
instruction  in  a  new  line  of  business.      Yet  believing 
I  was  to  keep  close  to  my  good  Guide  and  He  would 
not  fail  me,  I  entered  on  the  work,  though  for  the 
first  twelve  months  my  earnings  only  provided  me  at 
best   with   bread,    cheese,   and  water,  and  sometimes 
only  bread,  and  sitting  constantly  on  the  seat  made  it 
hard  for  me,  yet  both  I  and  my  instructor  soon  became 
reconciled   to   it."      His  diligence  and  thrift  enabled 
him  in  a  short  time  to  open  a  shop  of  his  own  in 
Tottenham,  and  to  employ  workmen.     It  was  not  long 
after  this  that  he  received  his  first  call  to  go  forth  from 
his  home  and  preach.      It  was  no  easy  matter  to  obey 
such    a    call    at   this   time.     His   young   wife   knew 
nothing  of  business,  and  the  foreman  was  not  very 
trustworthy.      Still  the  good  man  went  out  on  a  sort 
of    missionary   tour  in   Norfolk,    and   returned  home 
to  find,  as  he  avers  he  always  did  find  on  returning 
from  such  a  mission,  that  the  words  of  Divine  promise 
spoken  to  his  inward  ear  were  verified :  "  I  wiU  be 
more  than  bolts  and  bars  to  thy  outward  habitation, 


330  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

more  than  a  master  to  thy  servants,  for  I  can  restrain 
their  wandering  minds ;  more  than  a  husband  to  thy 
wife,  and  a  parent  to  thy  infant  children." 

After  continuing  at  the  craft  as  a  master-shoe- 
maker for  about  twenty-seven  years,  Shillitoe  in  1805 
found  that  he  had  saved  enough  to  put  him  in  a  posi- 
tion to  relinquish  business,  and  to  devote  himself 
more  fully  to  the  Christian  and  philanthropic  work  to 
which  he  believed  he  had  been  called  of  God.  He 
paid  several  visits  to  Ireland,  visiting  the  "  drink- 
ing-houses"  in  every  town  to  which  he  went,  and 
endeavouring  to  reform  the  shocking  abuses  he  met 
with  in  such  places.  First  of  all  he  would  speak 
with  the  "  keepers  "  of  these  houses,  and  plead  with 
them  to  abolish  the  evils  he  saw  around  him  ;  and 
then,  turning  his  attention  to  the  company  of  drinkers, 
revellers,  and  dancers,  he  would  speak  to  them  in 
such  tender  loving  tones,  that  they  were  constrained 
to  cease  their  rioting  and  listen  to  the  faithful  ser- 
vant of  Christ.  He  and  his  companion  were  rarely 
molested  while  engaged  on  these  errands  of  mercy. 
In  some  instances  crowds  followed  them  to  listen  to 
their  message,  and  where  the  company  began  by 
jeering  and  insulting  the  visitors,  they  soon  settled 
down  into  a  quiet  and  respectful  demeanour.  When 
at  Clonmel  in  1 8  i  o,  Shillitoe  writes  in  his  journal : 
"  My  companion  used  often  to  say  it  seemed  as  if 
the  Good  Master  went  into  the  houses  before  us  to 
prepare  the  way."  Not  content  with  visiting  the 
"  drinking-houses,"  we  read,  "  it  was  his  practice  to 
visit  either  the  magistrates  or  the  bishops  and  priests, 
and   sometimes   he  did   not   feel  clear  until  he  had 


THOMAS  SHILLITOE.  33^ 

spoken  faithfully  to  all."  ^  To  the  bishops,  Eoman 
Catholic  or  Protestant,  he  spoke  in  the  most  uncom- 
promising manner  about  their  responsibility  for  the 
influence  of  their  teaching  and  conduct  upon  the 
people.  Six  hundred  visits  of  mercy  were  paid  to 
the  drinking- houses  of  Dublin  alone  in  the  year 
1811.  The  year  after  this  his  "Journal"  records  a 
remarkable  visit  which  he  and  a  fellow-worker  paid 
to  "an  organised  company  of  desperate  characters, 
who  for  nearly  fifty  years  had  infested  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Kingswood,  who  lived  by  plundering, 
robbing,  horse-stealing,"  and  were  a  terror  to  the 
locality.  Even  these  men  listened  patiently  to  cor- 
rection and  instruction  from  the  lips  of  Thomas 
Shillitoe,  and  thanked  him  and  his  friend  for  their 
good  counsel. 

From  the  lowest  and  humblest  members  of  society 
he  sometimes  turned  his  attention  to  the  highest  and 
most  influential.  He  could  not  think  of  kings  and 
emperors  without  remembering  their  grave  respon- 
sibility before  God  for  the  good  government  of  their 
people,  and  feeling  that  it  was  his  duty  to  speak  to 
them  upon  the  subject.  In  1794  he  and  a  friend 
named  Stacey  went  to  Windsor  intent  on  seeing  and 
speaking  with  King  George  III.  It  was  early  morn- 
ing, when  the  King  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  his 
stables.  Shillitoe  was  about  to  follow  the  King  into 
one  of  the  stables,  when  he  was  stopped  by  an  atten- 
dant. George  III.,  hearing  their  remarks,  came  out ; 
when  Stacey  said,  "  This  friinid  of  mine  hath  some- 
thing to  communicate  to  the  King."     On  which  His 

1  "Select  Miscellanies."     London:  Charles  Gilpin,    1854,  vol.   iv. 
P-  135- 


332  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Majesty  raised  his  hat,  and  his  attendants  ranging  on 
his  left  and  right,  Thomas  Shillitoe  advanced  in  front, 
saying,  "  Hear,  0  King,"  and,  in  a  discourse  of  about 
twenty  minutes'  duration,  pressed  upon  the  monarch 
the  importance  of  true  religion  in  persons  of  exalted 
station,  and  the  influence  and  responsibility  attached 
to  power.  The  King  listened  with  respect  and 
emotion,  "  tears  trickling  down  his  cheeks."  ^  It  was 
certainly  a  more  difficult  thing  to  pay  such  a  visit  to 
the  Prince  Eegent ;  but  even  this  the  prophet-like 
Quaker  accomplished  at  Brighton  in  1 8  i  3 ,  and  again 
at  Windsor  in  1823,  when  the  gay  Prince  had  become 
King  George  lY.  The  missionary  zeal  of  ShilHtoe 
carried  him  into  Europe  and  America,  where  he  never 
flinched  from  delivering  his  message  to  men  in  any 
position,  high  or  low. 

In  Denmark  he  obtained  an  audience  of  the  King, 
and  spoke  to  him  some  plain  words  regarding  the  dese- 
cration of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  evils  attendant  on 
Government-licensed  lotteries.  In  Prussia  he  ventured 
to  speak  to  the  King  in  the  garden  of  the  Palace  of 
Berhn,  and  was  graciously  received,  the  monarch  pro- 
mising to  profit  by  the  admonition  he  received.  In 
Eussia  he  saw  the  Czar  Alexander  in  1825,  and 
spoke  to  him  "  of  the  abuses  and  oppressions  that 
existed  under  his  government."  Alexander,  who  had 
great  respect  for  the  Friends,  received  his  visitor  very 
kindly,  and  conversed  with  him  for  a  long  time  on 
religious  subjects  in  the  most  frank  and  familiar 
manner. 

After  fifty  years'  faithful  ministry,  of  the  most 
singularly  pure  and  disinterested  character,  this  good 
man  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  12th  June  1836. 

^  '■  Journal  of  Thomas  Shillitoe,"  vol.  i.  p.  21. 


JOHN  THORP.  333 


JOHN  THORP,  FOUNDER  OF  THE  INDEPEN- 
DENT CHURCH  AT  MASBRO\ 

The  conversion  and  ministry  of  John  Thorp,  a  shoe- 
maker at  Masbrough,  Yorkshire,  may  be  set  down  among 
the  most  extraordinary  incidents  connected  with  the 
eighteenth  century  religious  revivaL  Thorp's  conversion 
was  an  indirect  result  of  the  preaching  of  the  Meth- 
odists, and  occurred  in  such  a  singular  manner  as  to 
make  the  story  worth  telling,  even  if  it  had  led  to  no 
other  results  ;  but  in  Thorp's  case  the  results  of  con- 
version were  very  noteworthy.  Southey  in  his  "  Life 
of  Wesley  "  ^  gives  the  following  account: — "A  party  of 
men  were  amusing  themselves  one  day  in  an  ale-house 
at  Eotherham,^  by  mimicking  the  Methodists.  It  was 
disputed  who  succeeded  best,  and  this  led  to  a  wager. 
There  were  four  performers,  and  the  rest  of  the  company 
were  to  decide  after  a  fair  specimen  from  each.  A 
Bible  was  produced,  and  three  of  the  rivals,  each  in 
turn,  mounted  the  table  and  held  forth  in  a  style  of 
irreverent  buffoonery,  wherein  the  Scriptures  were  not 
spared.  John  Thorp,  who  was  the  last  exhibitor,  got 
upon  the  table  in  high  spirits,  exclaiming,  '  I  shall  beat 
you  all ! '  He  opened  the  book  for  a  text,  and  his  eyes 
rested  on  these  words,  '  Except  ye  rejtent,  ye  shall  all 
likewise  perish  ! '  These  words  at  such  a  moment  and 
in  such  a  place  struck  him  to  the  heart.  He  became 
serious,  he  preached  in  earnest,  and  he  afterwards 
affirmed  that  his  own  hair  stood  erect  at  the  feelincjs 

1   "  Bohn's  Standard  Tiibrary, "  p.  305. 

-  Rotherham  and   Masbro'  are  one  town,  only  separated  by  the 
river  llother. 


334  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

wliicli  then  came  upon  him,  and  the  awful  denunciations 
which  he  uttered.      His  companions  heard  him  with 
tlie  deepest  silence.     When  he  came  down  not  a  word 
was  said  concerning  the  wager ;  he  left  the  room  im- 
mediately without  speaking  to  any  one,  went  home  in 
a  state  of  great  agitation,  and  resigned  himself  to  the 
impulse  which  had  thus  strangely  been  produced.     In 
consequence  he  joined  the  Methodists,  and  became  an 
itinerant  preacher ;  but  lie  would  often  say,   when  he 
related  this  story,  that  if  ever  he  preached  by  the  as- 
sistance of  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  was  at  that  time."     In 
the  theological  controversies  which  sprang  up  in  the 
society  at  Eotherham,  Thorp  took  the  Calvinistic  side. 
This  roused  the  ire  of  the  Arminian  Wesley,  who  sent 
off  the  Calvinistic    cobbler  to  labour  in  a  circuit    a 
hundred   miles   away.     But  though  Wesley  had  the 
power  to  drive  Thorp  from  Eotherham,  the  autocrat 
had   no  power   to   drive   the  cobbler  away  from   his 
Calvinism.     Wesley  then  dismissed  Thorp  from   the 
connexion,  and  he  returned  to  the  scenes  of  his  con- 
version and  first  Christian  work,  to  take  charge  of  a 
body  of  people  who  left  the  Methodists  and  formed 
an  Independent  Church,  1757-60.^     This  little  society 
rapidly  grew  in  numbers  and  influence,  and  is  at  the  pre- 
sent time  a  large  and  flourishing  church  at  Masbro'. 
One  of  its  first  members,  Mr.  Walker,  an  iroufounder, 
was  a  leading  patron  of  the  school,  which  afterwards 
developed    into    Eotherham    College    under   the   pre- 
sidency of  the  learned  Dr.  E.   Williams.^     "  Thus  to 

^  "Masbro'  Chapel  Manual"  for  iSSi,  whence  many  of  these  par- 
ticulars are  taken.     See  also  Miall's  "  Congregationalism  in  Yorkshire." 

^  Dr.  Edward  Williams  became  president  in  1795.  He  edited  the 
works  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  was  the  author  of  a  once-famous  con- 
troversial treatise  on  "  Divine  Equity  and  Sovereignty." 


WILLIAM  HUNTINGDON,  S.S.  335 

the  pious  zeal  of  an  obscure  shoemaker  the  Dissenters 
are  indirectly  indebted  for  their  valuable  academical 
institution.^  Thorp  was  regularly  ordained  to  the 
pastorate,  and  a  chapel  was  built  for  his  ministry, 
where  he  preached  till  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two,  8th  November  1776.  He  was  a  friend  of  the 
pious  and  eccentric  John  Berridge,^  Vicar  of  Everton, 
who  gave  his  watch  to  Thorp  as  a  token  of  esteem. 
John  Thorp's  son  William  was  a  far  more  famous 
preacher  than  his  father,  and  held  a  conspicuous  place 
at  the  beginning  of  this  century  as  pastor  of  the  Castle 
Green  Church,  Bristol.  Eepresentatives  of  the  family 
belonging  to  a  third  and  fourth  generation  of  preachers 
still  hold  an  honourable  position  as  Established  or  Free 
Church  ministers. 


WILLIAM  HUNTINGDON,  S.S.,  CALVINISTIC 
METHODIST  PREACHER. 

One  of  the  most  eloquent  and  famous  preachers  in 
Loudon  at  the  close  of  the  last  century  and  the  be- 
ginning of  the  present,  when  eloquent  and  famous 
preachers  were  by  no  means  rare,  was  William  Hunt- 
ingdon, whose  portrait  may  be  seen  in  the  National 
Portrait  Gallery,  South  Kensington,  London.  Hunt- 
ingdon's father  was  a  farm-labourer  in  Kent  named 
Hunt.  How  the  name  Hunt  grew  into  the  more  dig- 
nified Huntingdon  (or  Huntington)  we  cannot  tell ; 
probably  through   some   whim   of  his    own,   for   this 

1  "  Crispin  Anecdotes,"  p.  iS.  "  Ibid. 


336  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

eccentric  man  took  liberties  with  his  name,  as  the 
reader  will  see  presently.  He  seems  to  have  combined 
shoemaking  with  his  other  avocations,  for  one  notice 
speaks  of  him  as  by  turns  hostler,  gardener,  cobbler, 
and  coalheaver.-^ 

He  was  not  favoured  with  any  early  education,  but 
by  careful  self-culture  of  his  first-rate  natural  gifts 
acquired  the  rare  art  of  speaking  with  an  ease  and 
elegance  and  force  that  pleased  all  sorts  of  hearers. 
Long  after  he  had  begun  to  attract  crowds  by  his  elo- 
quence he  worked  for  his  daily  bread  as  a  cobbler. 
Many  a  sermon  was  made  with  his  work  on  his  lap 
and  a  Bible  on  the  chair  beside  him.  A  chapel  was 
built  for  his  ministry  in  Tichfield  Street,  London,  and 
when  it  proved  too  small,  the  congregation  moved  to  a 
larger  building  erected  in  Gray's  Inn  Eoad. 

In  his  diary,  22nd  October  181  2,  H.  C.  Eobinson  ^ 
says,  "  Heard  W.  Huntingdon  preach,  the  man  who 
puts  >S^.^.  (sinner  saved)  after  his  name.  He  has  an 
admirable  exterior ;  his  voice  is  clear  and  melodious ; 
his  manner  singularly  easy,  and  even  graceful.  There 
was  no  violence,  no  bluster ;  yet  there  was  no  want 
of  earnestness  or  strength.  His  language  was  very 
figurative,  the  images  being  taken  from  the  ordi- 
nary business  of  life,  and  especially  from  tlie  army 
and  navy.  He  is  very  colloquial,  and  has  a  won- 
derful Biblical  memory ;  indeed,  he  is  said  to  know 
the  whole  Bible  by  heart.  I  noticed  that  though 
he  was  frequent  in  his  citations,  and  always  added 
chapter  and  verse,  he  never  opened  the  little  book  he 

1  "Imperial  Dictionary  of  Biography,"  vol.  iv.     Edinburgh:  Blackie 
&  Son. 
■''  Vol.  i.  p.  402. 


REV.  ROBERT  MORRISON,  D.D.  337 

had  in  his  hand.      He  is  said  to  resemble  Kobert  Robin- 
son of  Cambridge."  ^ 

In  regard  to  the  S.S.  which  he  persisted  in  writing 
after  his  name,  Huntingdon  says,  "  M.A.  is  out  of  my 
reach  for  want  of  learning ;  D.D.  I  cannot  attain  for 
want  of  cash ;  but  S.S.  I  adopt,  by  which  I  mean 
•  sinner  saved.' "  He  married  as  his  second  wife  the 
wealthy  widow  of  Alderman  Sir  J.  Saundeson,  once 
Lord  Mayor  of  London,  His  death  occurred  in  18  13, 
at  Tunbridge  Wells.^  One  of  his  best  known  works  is 
entitled  "  The  Bank  of  Faith,"  an  extraordinary  record 
of  his  own  personal  experience  in  illustration  of  the 
doctrine  of  special  providence.  His  sermons,  &c.,  were 
published  in  no  less  than  twenty  volumes. 


JiEK  ROBERT  MORRISON,  D.D.,  CHINESE 
SCHOLAR  AND  MISSIONARY. 

A  MAKER  of  wooden  clogs  and  shoe-lasts  is  hardly  a 
shoemaker,  in  the  commonly  understood  sense  of  the 
term,  yet  he  stands  in  a  very  close  relation  to  the 
gentle  craft,  and  for  this  reason  we  may  not  unfairly 
claim  Robert  Morrison  of  Newcastle  as  a  member  of  the 
illustrious  brotherhood  of  the  sons  of  St.  Crispin.  Dr. 
Morrison  was  the  pioneer  of  modern  missions  to  China, 

^  The  emiuent  Baptirit  minister  of  St.  Andrew's  Chapel,  1 761-1790, 
predecessor  of  Kobert  Hall. 

2  Huntingdon  wrote  his  own  epitaph,  part  of  which  reads — "Be- 
loved of  his  God  but  abhorred  by  men.  The  Omniscient  Judge  at  the 
Great  Assize  shall  ratify  and  confirm  this,  to  the  confusion  of  many 
thousands  ;  for  England  and  its  metropolis  shall  know  that  there  hath 
been  a  prophet  among  them.' 

Y 


338  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

and  did  for  the  people  and  language  of  that  country 
what  another  shoemaker  did  for  the  people  of  Bengal. 
The  yonthful  ISTorthumbrian  had  only  a  plain  elemen- 
tary education,  and  after  he  became  an  apprentice, 
spent  all  his  spare  time  in  reading  religious  books.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  gave  up  his  humble  trade  and 
began  to  study  under  a  minister,  who  passed  him  on  in 
two  years  to  the  academy  at  Hoxton,  where  he  made 
such  progress,  that  in  a  short  time  he  was  sent  to 
London  to  study  Chinese  under  Sam  Tok,  a  native 
teacher,  with  a  view  to  his  becoming  a  missionary  to 
China,  in  connection  with  the  London  Missionary 
Society.  In  1807  he  sailed  for  that  country,  and  his 
rare  gifts  as  a  linguist  were  shown  in  the  publication 
of  a  Chinese  version  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  after 
only  three  years'  labour,  in  18 10.  The  Gospel  of 
Luke  appeared  in  181 2,  and  the  entire  New  Testa- 
ment in  1 8 1 4.  AVith  the  help  of  William  Milne  he 
issued  the  Old  Testament  shortly  after  the  last  date. 
His  labours  were  not  confined  to  the  translation  of  the 
Sacred  Scriptures.  His  greatest  work  was  a  "  Dic- 
tionary of  the  Chinese  Language,"  published  in  1 8 1  8 
by  the  Hon.  East  India  Company  at  a  cost  of  ;^i  5,000. 
He  also  edited  a  Chinese  grammar.  The  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  Uni- 
versity of  Glasgow. 

In  1 8 1 7,  Dr.  Morrison  accompanied  Lord  Amherst 
in  his  embassy  to  Pekin,  and  afterwards,  as  the  last 
great  work  of  a  noble  life,  founded  an  Anglo-Chinese 
College  at  Malacca,  to  whose  funds  he  left  the  bulk  of 
his  property.  On  his  return  to  England  in  1823  for 
rest  and  change,  his  great  gifts  and  labours  as  a 
linguist  and  a  missionary  were  cordially  recognised  in 


REV.  JOHN  BURNET.  339 

many  quarters.  The  Eoyal  Society  made  him  a  mem- 
ber, and  King  George  IV.  honoured  himself,  as  well 
as  his  distinguished  subject,  by  seeking  an  interview 
with  him.  In  1826  he  returned  to  the  field  of  his 
missionary  labours.  On  his  death  at  Canton  in  1834, 
England  lost  her  best  Chinese  scholar,  and  one  of  the 
most  devoted,  self-sacrificing,  and  useful  missionaries 
who  ever  left  her  shores. 


TIfE  REV.  JOHN  BURNET,  PREACHER  AND 
PHILANTHROPIST. 

The  eloquent  and  popular  minister  of  Camberwell 
Green  Congregational  Church,  the  Bcv.  John  Burnet, 
who  divided  his  time  and  energies  between  preaching 
and  philanthropic  labours,  is  claimed  by  the  craft  as 
one  of  the  most  gifted  and  useful  men  who  have 
sprung  from  their  ranks.^  He  was  of  Highland  de- 
scent, and  was  born  in  Perth,  13th  April  1789.  His 
early  education  at  the  High  School  of  Perth  must 
have  given  him  great  advantage  over  most  youths  of 
the  solder  fraternity.  How  long  he  plied  tlie  awl  we 
cannot  say.  Soon  after  his  union  with  a  Christian 
Church  in  Perth  his  friends  discovered  his  gifts  as  a 
speaker,  and  encouraged  his  adoption  of  the  ministry  as 
a  profession.  To  this  end  they  supplied  him  with 
funds,  and  for  a  time  he  studied  with  much  advantage 
under  the  Eev.  William  Orme  of  Perth.  In  1 8 1  5 
Mr.  Burnet  removed  from  Perth  to  Dublin,  and  soon 

1  See  Campion's  "  Deligbtful  History,"  p.  S3. 


340  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

afterwards  became  an  agent  of  the  Irish  Evangelical 
Society.  His  labours  at  Cork  proving  acceptable  to 
the  Independent  Church  there,  he  was  invited  to 
become  their  pastor,  and  for  fifteen  years  was  well 
known  by  all  the  Protestants  of  the  district  as  an 
eloquent  and  faithful  preacher.  The  growth  of  his 
congregation  led  to  the  building  of  a  handsome  new 
chapel  for  his  ministry  in  George  Street.  But  his 
labours  were  not  confined  to  these  localities  (Cork  and 
Mallow).  His  biographer  states  that  "  he  continually 
visited  the  other  towns  and  places  in  the  South  of 
Ireland,  preaching  in  the  court-houses,  market-places, 
and  frequently  in  the  halls  of  the  resident  nobility 
and  gentry — all  the  Protestants  gladly  giving  him  the 
requisite  facilities.  On  these  journeys  he  had  usually 
a  free  pass  by  the  mails  and  coaches,  but  he  travelled 
a  good  deal  on  horseback."  ^ 

It  would  have  been  an  easy  matter  for  Mr.  Burnet  to 
enter  Parliament,  if  he  could  have  been  persuaded  to 
quit  the  ministry  and  devote  himself  entirely  to  poli- 
tical life ;  for  he  was  popular  with  the  Liberals  of  his 
day,  had  rare  gifts  as  a  speaker,  and  was  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  politics.  But  the  best  efforts  of  his 
friend  Joseph  Sturge,  and  the  offer  of  ample  means 
to  maintain  the  position  of  a  member  of  Parliament, 
failed  to  induce  him  to  accept  the  flattering  offer.  He 
was  constantly  employed  as  a  platform  speaker,  and 
never  refused  his  aid  to  any  cause  "  affecting  the  rights 
of  the  people  or  the  progress  of  humanity." 

For  many  years  he  was  on  the  Committee  of  the 

1  "Congregational  Year-Book"  for  1S63,  pp.  214-216.  To  the 
obituary  notice  given  in  the  Year  Book  I  owe  the  facts  given  in  this 
sketch. 


REV.  JOHN  BURNET.  341 

Bible  Society,  the  London  Missionary  Society,  the 
Irish  Evangelical  and  the  British  and  Foreign  Sailors' 
Societies.  Yet  with  all  this  public  work  he  never 
neglected  the  duties  of  the  pastorate,  but  occupied  his 
j)ulpit  efficiently  from  Sunday  to  Sunday,  and  held 
several  meetings  during  the  week  for  the  instruction  of 
his  people.  In  1845  his  brethren  of  the  Independent 
connexion  showed  their  esteem  by  electing  him  to  fill 
the  chair  of  the  Congregational  Union. 

In  1825  Mr.  Burnet  was  summoned  to  give  evi- 
dence before  a  committee  of  the  House  of  Lords  on 
the  state  of  the  Catholic  population  in  Ireland.  At 
first  he  declined  to  attend,  saying  that  he  could  not 
leave  his  work,  for  he  had  no  one  to  supply  his  place 
in  his  absence.  But  a  second  summons  made  it  clear 
that  he  was  bound  to  obey  orders,  and  he  accordingly 
went  up  to  London  and  gave  the  committee  the  benefit 
of  his  extensive  acquaintance  with  the  religious  con- 
dition of  the  South  of  Ireland.  His  visit  to  Lon- 
don brought  him  again  into  the  company  of  his  old 
friend  Mr.  Orme,  who  introduced  him  to  the  congre- 
gation, of  which  Mr.  Orme  was  the  pastor,  at  the 
Mansion  House  Chapel.  On  his  death  in  1830,  Mr. 
Burnet  was  invited  to  succeed  his  friend  as  the 
pastor  of  the  church.  This  pastorate  he  held  for 
thirty-two  years,  till  the  day  of  his  death  In  1852 
the  new  and  costly  building  opposite  Camberwell 
Green  was  built,  the  congregation  removing  thither 
from  the  old  "  Mansion  House." 

Mr.  Burnet  was  best  known  for  his  philanthropic 
labours,  chiefly  in  connection  with  the  anti-slavery 
cause.  In  this  work  he  laboured  side  by  side,  and 
on   intimate   terms    of   friendship,   with    Wilberforce, 


342  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Brougham,  Zacliary  Macaulay,  Lord  Macaulay,  Sir 
T.  F.  Buxton,  and  other  advocates  of  freedom  for  the 
slave.  "  His  labours,"  it  is  said,  "  in  committee  were 
continuous  and  valuable,  and  his  good  sense  and 
sound  judg-ment  were  not  seldom  needed  in  the  con- 
duct of  this  great  movement.  He  went  frequently 
on  deputations  to  the  Government,  and  was  obliged 
to  spend  much  time  at  the  House  of  Commons  to  be 
near  the  anti-slavery  leaders  in  all  times  of  difficulty, 
and  by  this  means  became  acquainted  with  the  lead- 
ing public  men  of  the  day,  who  admired  his  straight- 
forward character,  readiness,  and  humour."  He  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  June  lo,  1862. 


/0/lI\r  KITTO,  D.D.,  THE  BIBLICAL  SCHOLAR. 

Very  few  illustrious  men  have  been  so  heavily  handi- 
capped in  the  race  of  life  and  the  pursuit  of  know- 
ledge as  the  eminent  biblical  scholar,  John  Kitto,  who 
was  born  at  Plymouth,  4th  December  1804.^  Added 
to  poverty,  the  want  of  proper  food  and  clothing,  he 
had  to  endure  in  early  life  the  deprivation  of  natural 
guardians  and  friends,  terrible  cruelty  from  a  master 
under  whose  care  he  was  placed,  and,  worst  of  all, 
the  entire  loss  of  the  sense  of  hearing,  so  that  from 
the  age  of  twelve  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  never 
could  hear  a  sound  of  any  description.  Deeply 
pathetic  is  the  story  of  his  early  life  as  told  by  him- 

1   "Memoirs  of  John  Kitto,  D.D.,"  by  J.  E.  RylanJ,  M.A.     Edin- 
burgh :  William  Oliphant  &  Sons,   1S56. 


DR.  KITTO.  Z\Z 

self    in   his  journal   and   letters.     His    father   was  a 
working   mason  at  Plymouth,  who  had   lost   a  good 
business   by   intemperate  habits.       When   John   was 
only  four  years  old,  his  grandmother,  who  could  not 
endure   the  sight  of  his  misery  at  home,  engaged  to 
bring   him  up.     This  good  woman  was  the  guardian 
angel  of  Kitto's  childhood,  and  did   more,    perhaps, 
than  any  one  else  to  mould  his  character.      It  was  a 
sad  day  for  him  when  she  was  compelled  by  poverty 
and   illness   to  break  up  her  home  and  go  with  her 
little  ward  to  live  with  his  parents.     He  had  already 
become  fond  of  reading,  and  had  even  tried  his  hand 
at  writing   tales    for  the  amusement  of  his   childish 
companions  and  the  more  serious  purpose  of  earning 
a  few  pence  to  buy  books.      One  day,  when  working 
with  his  father,  he  fell  from  the  top  of  a  house  thirty- 
five  feet  high,  and   was   carried   home  in  a  state  of 
unconsciousness.     After  lying  in  this  state  for  a  fort- 
night,  he  awoke  to  discover  to  his  dismay   that    he 
was  absolutely  deaf.     He  had  asked  for  a  book  which 
a   neighbour  had  lent  him  just  before   the   accident, 
and  when   his  friends  found  that  he  could  not  hear 
their  reply,  one  of  them  took  up  a  slate  and  vn^otc 
upon    it.      "  Why    do    you    not    speak  ? "    he   cried. 
"  Why    do    you    write    to   me  ?      Why    not    speak  ? 
Speak,   speak  ! "      "  Then,"  he  tells  us,  "  those  who 
stood    around   the    bed    exchanged    significant    looks 
of  concern,  and  the  writer  soon  displayed  upon  his 
slate  the  awful  words,   '  You   are   deaf  ! '     Did   not 
this  utterly  crush  me  ?      By  no  means.     In  my  then 
weakened  condition  nothing  like  this  could  affect  me. 
Besides,  I  was  a  child  ;  and  to  a  child  the  full  extent 
of  such  a    calamity  could  not  be  at   once   apparent. 
However,  I  knew  not  the  future — it  was  well  I  did 


344  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

not ;  and  there  "was  nothing  to  show  me  that  I 
suffered  under  more  than  a  temporary  deafness,  which 
in  a  few  days  might  pass  away.  It  was  left  for  time 
to  show  me  the  sad  realities  of  the  condition  to 
which  I  was  reduced." 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  sent  to  the  work- 
house, scarcely  understanding  what  was  being  done 
with  him.  On  realising  his  true  position  in  this 
place,  "  his  anguish  was  indescribable."  Yet  in 
Kitto's  time  this  place  was  hardly  like  an  ordinary 
modern  workhouse.  It  had  long  borne  the  name  of 
The  Hospital  of  the  Poor's  Portion,  was  founded  in 
1630  by  Gayer,  Colmer,  and  Fowell,  and  endowed  in 
1674  by  Lanyon  with  ^2000,  and  in  1708  was  con- 
verted into  a  poorhouse  by  Act  of  Parliament.  It  had 
apartments  for  boys,  who  were  admitted  on  Hele's 
and  Lanyon's  charities.  Young  Kitto  was  kindly 
treated  by  the  guardians,  even  being  allowed  to  go 
out  every  day,  and  for  a  long  time  to  sleep  at  home. 
His  occupation  was  the  making  of  list  shoes,  in  which 
he  became  so  proficient  that  he  was  sent  out  as  an 
apprentice  to  a  shoemaker  in  the  town,  who  treated 
him  so  savagely  that  the  humane  guardians  quashed 
the  agreement  and  took  him  again  under  their  care. 
But  even  in  this  wretched  situation,  where  he  was 
often  compelled  to  work  sixteen  or  eighteen  hours 
a  day,  the  poor  deaf  boy  managed  to  go  on  with  his 
studies  ;  and  in  his  interesting  work  called  "  The 
Lost  Senses,"  published  twenty  years  afterwards,  he 
remarks,  "  Now  that  I  look  back  upon  this  time,  the 
amount  of  study  which  I  did,  under  these  circum- 
stances, contrive  to  get  through,  amazes  and  con- 
founds me." 


DR.  KITTO.  345 

About  a  year  after  his  return  to  the  poorhouse, 
certain  gentlemen  in  Plymouth,  who  had  come  to  hear 
of  his  superior  abilities  and  passion  for  reading,  drew 
up  a  circular  asking  for  funds  to  enable  him  to  devote 
his  time  entirely  to  study.  This  appeal  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  the  poor  workhouse  boy  was  placed 
under  the  care  of  a  good  friend,  named  Mr.  Barnard, 
to  board  and  lodge,  and  allowed  to  go  to  the  public 
library  for  the  purpose  of  reading  and  study.  His 
course  as  a  student  was  now  fairly  open.  In  a  few 
years  he  published  his  first  book,  "  Essays  and  Let- 
ters," with  a  short  memoir  of  the  author.  In  1825 
his  friend  Mr.  Groves  of  Exeter  was  the  means  of 
sending  him  to  the  Church  Missionary  Institution, 
London,  where  for  a  time  he  was  employed  as  a  printer. 
Eor  two  years  he  resided  at  Malta  in  the  service  of 
this  Society.  After  this,  an  arrangement  was  made 
with  his  friend  Mr.  Groves  which  proved  of  the  utmost 
possible  service  to  the  diligent  student,  whose  mind 
had  long  been  set  on  travelling  as  a  means  of  increasing 
his  knowledge.  Mr.  Groves  asked  Kitto  to  accompany 
him  to  the  East.  Five  years  were  spent  in  a  journey 
through  Eussia,  Persia,  and  Asiatic  Turkey,  during 
which  "  the  deaf  traveller  "  obtained  the  vast  stores  of 
information  of  which  he  made  such  good  use  in  the 
various  works  written  on  his  return  to  England.  In 
1833  he  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Charles  Knight,  the 
well-known  publisher,  to  write  for  the  "  Penny  Maga- 
zine," and  wrote  for  that  journal  a  number  of  articles 
entitled  "  The  Deaf  Traveller."  He  contributed  many 
articles  also  to  the  "  Penny  Cyclopaedia."  His  best 
known  works  are  "  The  Pictorial  Bible,"  "  The  Pictorial 
Sunday  Book,"  "  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical   Literature," 


346  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS: 

"  The  Lost  Senses,"  "  Journal  of  Sacred  Literature,"  and 
"  Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  a  work  of  great  value,  in 
eight  volumes.  In  1844  the  University  of  Giessen 
conferred  on  him  the  diploma  of  D.D.,  and  in  the 
following  year  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the 
Society  of  Antiq^uaries.  Notwithstanding  his  immense 
labours  and  the  great  value  of  his  writings,  he  was, 
towards  the  close  of  his  life,  considerably  embarrassed 
by  pecuniary  difiiculties,  which  were  alleviated,  but 
not  entirely  removed,  by  a  Government  pension  of 
£100  per  year.  John  Ivitto  died  and  was  buried  at 
Cannstatt,  in  Germany,  2  5tli  Xovember  1854,  at  the 
age  of  forty-nine. 


SCIENCE. 


WILLIAM  STURGEON,   THE  ELECTRICIAN. 

The  name  of  William  Sturgeon,  so  honourably  con- 
nected with  the  science  of  electricity  and  magnetism, 
has  a  fair  claim  to  be  entered  on  this  list.  Sturgeon 
was  a  Lancaslure  man,  born  at  Wittington  in  that 
county  in  1783.  All  his  youth  was  spent  at  the 
shoemaker's  stall.  On  arriving  at  manhood  he  aban- 
doned this  quiet,  peaceful  occupation  for  the  life  of  a 
soldier.  After  two  years'  service  in  the  militia  he 
enlisted  in  the  Eoyal  Artillery.  Like  William  Cobbett, 
he  found  it  possible  to  read  in  the  midst  of  the  dis- 
tractions of  the  barrack-room.  His  cliief  attention 
was  given  to  the  study  of  electricity  and  magnetism, 
which  at  that  time   were  attracting  a  great  deal  of 


WILLIAM  STURGEON.  347 

attention  on  the  part  of  men  of  science.^  The  first 
proof  Sturgeon  gave  of  special  and  extensive  know- 
ledge on  the  subject  was  in  the  papers  which  he  con- 
tributed to  the  "  Philosophical  Magazine"  in  i  823-24. 
In  1825  he  published  an  account  of  certain  magneto- 
electric  appliances,  for  which  the  Society  of  Arts 
awarded  him  their  silver  medal  and  a  purse  contain- 
ing ;^30-  About  this  time,  that  is,  soon  after  leaving 
the  army,  he  was  appointed  to  tlie  chair  of  experi- 
mental philosophy  in  the  East  India  Company's 
Military  Academy  at  Addisconibe.  His  pamphlet, 
published  in  1830,  on  "Experimental  Eesearches  in 
Electro-Magnetism  and  Galvanism,"  described  his  own 
experiments,  which  issued  in  an  improved  method  of 
preparing  plates  for  the  galvanic  battery;  a  method 
still  found,  in  many  respects,  to  be  the  best.  He 
invented  the  electro-magnetic-coil  machine,  now  used 
very  frequently  by  medical  men  in  giving  a  succession 
of  shocks  to  the  patient,  and  still  preferred  by  the 
faculty  to  other  instruments  fur  this  purpose.  This 
industrious  and  original  investigator  was  also  the 
inventor  of  a  method  of  driving  machinery  by  electro- 
magnetism ;  but  he  little  dreamt,  it  may  be,  of  the 
extent  to  which  electricity  would  be  employed  in 
these  days  as  a  motive  power  and  for  lighting  pur- 
poses. He  edited  the  "  Annals  of  Electricity,  Magnet- 
ism, and  Chemistry,"  and  published  his  own  works  in 
one  volume  a  few  years  before  bis  death.  Like  many 
inventors,  he  never  made  a  fortune,  but  died  poor.  A 
Government  pension  of  ;!^50  per  annum  came  to 
relieve  him  of  his  cares  only  the  year  before  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1850. 

^  Magneto-electricity  was  discovered  by  Oersted  in  1S20. 


348  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 


POLITICIANS. 


THOMAS  HARDY,  OF  "  THE  STATE  TRIALS^ 

The  "  gcntU  craft "  has  been  as  prolific  of  fiery  politi- 
cians as  of  peaceful  poets.  We  have  to  speak  now 
of  two  men  who  were  connected  respectively  with  the 
political  agitations  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth 
centuries. 

In  the  year  1794,  when  the  events  of  the  French 
Eevolution  had  convulsed  the  whole  of  Europe,  society 
in  England  was  stirred  to  its  depths,  and  grave  fears 
were  entertained  by  the  King  and  his  Parliament  lest 
the  spirit  of  revolution  should  break  loose  in  this 
country.  Such  fears  were  not  altogether  unfounded. 
Societies  sprang  up  whose  object  was  reform,  by  legiti- 
mate means  if  possible,  but  if  not,  by  violence  and 
bloodshed.  One  of  the  strongest  of  these  societies 
existed  in  London,  and  had  carried  its  proceedings  to 
such  a  pitch  that  four  of  its  leading  members  were 
brought  to  trial  on  a  charge  of  treason  and  sedition. 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  of  these  four  men — 
Hardy,  Horne-Tooke,  Thelwall,  and  Holcroft — the  first 
and  last  belonged  to  the  class  of  shoemakers.'^ 

^  A  story  is  told  of  Sir  Robert  Peel  which  is  worth  repeating  here. 
A  deputation  of  working  men  once  waited  on  Sir  Robert  to  lay  the  wants 
of  the  trades'  societies  before  him.  The  two  speakers  selected  by  the 
deputation  were  shoemakers.  On  learning  this  interesting  fact,  the 
statesman  turned  to  the  sons  of  Crispin  and  said,  half  in  earnest  and 
half  in  jest,  "  How  is  it  that  j'ou  shoemakers  are  foremost  in  every 
movement  ?  If  there  is  a  plot  or  conspiracy  or  insurrection  or  political 
movement,  I  always  find  that  there  is  a  shoemaker  in  the  fray  !  " 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  shorthand  notes  of  Hardy's  trial  were 


/  THOMAS  HARDY.  349 

Thomas  Hardy  was  the  secretary  of  the  Association, 
and  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  trial,  in  which  lie 
was  defended  by  the  Honourable  Thomas  Erskine. 
Speaking  of  these  famous  state  trials,  Henry  Crabb 
Eobinson,  who  was  then  living  at  Colchester,  says,  "  I 
felt  an  intense  interest  in  them.  During  the  first  trial 
I  was  in  a  state  of  agitation  that  rendered  me  unht 
for  business.  I  used  to  beset  the  post-ofiice  early, 
and  one  morning  at  six  I  obtained  the  London  paper 
with  NOT  GUILTY  printed  in  letters  an  inch  in  height, 
recording  the  issue  of  Hardy's  trial.  I  ran  about 
the  town  knocking  at  people's  doors  and  screaming 
out  the  joyful  words.  Thomas  Hardy,  who  was  a 
shoemaker,  made  a  sort  of  circuit,  and  obtained,  of 
course,  many  an  order  in  the  way  of  his  trade.  .  .  . 
Hardy  was  a  good-hearted,  simple,  and  honest  man. 
He  had  neither  the  talents  nor  the  vices  which  might 
be  supposed  to  belong  to  an  acquitted  traitor.  He 
lived  to  an  advanced  age  and  died  universally  re- 
spected."^ Hardy  died  in  the  year  1831,  in  his 
eighty-second  year,  having  been  born  in  175  i.  At 
the  close  of  his  life  he  was  connected  with  the  Wes- 
leyan  Methodists.  His  monument  may  still  be  seen 
in  the  Bunhill  Fields  Burying  Ground,  opposite  the 
City  Pioad  Chapel,  London. 

taken  down  by  another  illustrious  shoemaker — INIanoah  Sibley  (see 
above).  There  is  a  printed  copy  of  these  notes  in  the  British  Museum, 
published  1795. 

^  H.  C.  Kobinson's  Diary,  vol.  i.  pp.  26,  27. 


35b  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 


GEORGE  ODGER,  POLITICAL  ORATOR. 

It  has  been  remarked  above,  that  shoemakers,  whether 
"  illustrious  "  or  not,  have  played  a  prominent  part  in 
connection  with  religious  and  political  reform.  In 
proof  of  this  we  have  only  to  ask  the  reader  to  recall 
what  has  been  said  of  Henry  Michael  Buch,  Hans 
Sachs,  George  Fox,  Drs.  Carey  and  Morrison,  and  John 
Pounds,  among  moral  and  religious  reformers ;  and 
such  men  as  Hardy,  Holcroft,  and  Thomas  Cooper, 
in  the  sphere  of  politics.  The  name  of  George  Odgcr 
deserves  a  place  also  in  this  list  of  reformers  and 
improvers  of  the  world,  for  although  his  field  of  labour 
was  a  very  humble  one,  it  was  sufficient  for  the  display 
of  fine  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Odger  was  one 
of  the  best  specimens  this  country  has  produced  of  a 
powerful  class  in  modern  society,  called  "  working-men 
politicians."  His  influence  as  a  working-man  among 
the  working-men  of  London  was  unrivalled  in  his 
day,  and  was  always  of  a  wholesome  and  ennobling 
character.  Professor  Pawcett  said  "he  was  as  good 
and  true  a  man  as  ever  lived,"  paid  a  warm  tribute  to 
his  "rare  intelligence  and  power  and  eloquence,"  and 
added,  moreover,  that  if  the  poor  shoemaker  "  had 
been  born  in  circumstances  in  which  he  could  have 
had  the  advantages  of  education,  there  would  have 
been  for  him  a  career  as  distinguished  as  any  English- 
man had  achieved."  John  Stuart  Mill  also  held 
similar  opinions  in  regard  to  Odger's  excellent  charac- 
ter and  remarkable  abilities.  Other  members  of  Par- 
liament have  done  honour  to  Odger's  worth,  and 
recognised  his  unselfishness  and  patriotism  as  a  leader 


GEORGE  ODGER.  351 

of  the  people.  He  was  no  vulgar  demagogue,  pander- 
ing to  popular  passion,  and  seeking  fame  and  power  at 
any  cost.  His  appeals  were  always  made  to  the 
intelligence  of  his  hearers,  and  liis  demands  for  reform 
were  based  on  what  he  conscientiously  regarded  as 
principles  of  justice.  Throughout  the  American  war, 
1861-65,  he  sought  to  direct  public  opinion  against 
the  slave-holding  interest. 

George  Odger  was  born  at  Eogborough,  near  Ply- 
mouth, in  1 8  I  3.  His  father  was  a  Cornish  miner, and  so 
poor,  that  he  was  obliged  to  send  his  boy  out  to  earn 
his  living  at  shoemaking  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
work.  It  goes  without  saying  that  under  such  circum- 
stances he  had  no  advantages  of  education,  and  that 
he  was  indebted  to  his  own  efforts  for  any  measure  of 
culture  displayed  in  later  life.  In  his  youthful  days 
he  made  diligent  use  of  every  moment  of  leisure  for 
the  purpose  of  study,  and  acquired  an  amount  of 
general  information  which  was  of  immense  service  to 
him  as  a  public  speaker.  His  first  attempts  at  speak- 
ing were  made  in  connection  with  the  Eeform  move- 
ment. He  rapidly  acquired  influence  among  the 
working  class,  and  was  well  known  and  respected  both 
in  London  and  the  provinces  as  a  safe  leader  and 
counsellor  of  the  people,  so  that  in  the  Liverpool  and 
Kendal  strikes  he  was  accepted  by  both  masters  and 
men  as  a  mediator.  In  1868  he  stood  for  a  time  as  a 
candidate  for  the  newly  made  borough  of  Chelsea,  and 
in  the  following  year  he  was  accepted  by  a  large 
party  as  a  candidate  for  Stafford,  but  in  each  case  he 
retired  from  the  contest  lest  his  candidature  should 
damage  the  interests  of  his  party.  In  1870  and 
1874  he    contested   Southwark  as    a  working-man's 


353  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

candidate,  but  was  not  successful.  In  the  former  of 
these  contests  he  polled  only  300  fewer  votes  than 
the  elected  candidate. 

George  Odger  never  followed  any  other  trade  than 
that  of  a  shoemaker,  and  was  always  in  very  humble 
circumstances.  Shortly  before  his  death  a  subscrip- 
tion was  raised  by  the  Trade  Union  Congress  at  New- 
castle to  supply  the  wants  of  his  declining  years,  and 
in  consequence  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held, 
"  the  result  was  liberal  and  prompt."  ^  After  a  long 
illness  he  died  at  his  residence,  Bloomsbury,  London, 
3rd  March  1877. 

The  honour  done  him  at  his  funeral  was  such  as 
many  a  nobleman  might  envy.  The  Times'  report  of 
the  funeral  says :  "  The  remains  of  Mr.  Odger  were 
borne  to  the  grave  at  Brompton  Cemetery  with  all 
the  honours  of  a  public  funeral.  The  crowd  around 
the  house  of  the  deceased  was  immense."  The  Shoe- 
makers' Society,  to  which  Odger  belonged,  held  the 
foremost  place  in  the  long  procession  which  accom- 
panied the  remains  of  this  illustrious  shoemaker  to 
the  grave.  Members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
other  men  of  position  and  influence  in  the  great  city, 
stood  side  by  side  with  the  working-men  of  Clerken- 
well,  Southwark,  and  Bloomsbury,  to  pay  their  last 
tribute  of  esteem  to  the  memory  of  this  truly  estimable 
man. 

^  "The  Oracle,"  vol.  vi.  pp.  154,  237.     London  :  155  Fleet  Street. 


AMERICA. 


(    355     ) 


AMEEICA. 


NOAH  WORCESTER,  D.D.,  "  THE  APOSTLE 

OF  peace:' 

j^^^iMEPJCA  has  her  share  of  ilhistrioiis  shoe- 
'W^W  Mf^l'^ers.  The  United  States  can  boast  of 
[cikgfd^  xaow  -^^^orthy  to  stand  on  a  level  with  the 
best  examples  of  merit  the  gentle  craft  can  produce  in 
the  Old  World.  We  select  four  "  representative  men  " 
from  the  long  list  that  might  be  named,  to  whom  we 
shall  chiefly  devote  our  remaining  space.  These  men 
show  in  their  character  and  life-work  the  best  features 
of  the  New  England  type  of  the  American  citizen. 
They  are  men  of  sterling  moral  and  religious  worth, 
intense  haters  of  tyranny  and  slavery,  and  war  and 
intemperance,  "sound  as  gospel"  in  their  political 
principles,  "  clear  as  Wenham  ice "  in  their  trans- 
parency of  character. 

We  are  fain  to  believe  that  every  intelligent  person 
in  the  United  States  knows  the  name  of  Noah  Wor- 
cester, the  "  Apostle  of  Peace,"  as  he  has  been  very 
justly  styled.  Every  intelligent  person  also  on  the 
British  side  of  the  Atlantic  oucjht  to  know  something: 
of  this  good  man.  He  was  one  of  the  world's 
reformers,  and  commenced  a  movement  which  is 
destined  to  deepen  and  widen  in  its  influence  until 
it  becomes  universal,  and  chancres  for  the  better  the 


356  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

entire  condition  of  mankind.  We  allude  to  the  esta- 
blishment of  the  Peace  Society  of  Massachusetts — the 
parent  of  numberless  similar  societies  in  America  and 
Europe.  "  I  well  recollect,"  says  Dr.  Channing/  "  the 
day  of  its  formation  in  yonder  house,  then  the  par- 
sonage of  this  parish ;  and  if  there  was  a  happy  man 
that  day  on  earth,  it  was  the  founder  of  this  institu- 
tion. This  Society  gave  birth  to  all  the  kindred  ones 
in  this  country,  and  its  influence  was  felt  abroad.  Dr. 
Worcester  assumed  the  charge  of  its  periodical,  and 
devoted  himself  for  years  to  this  cause,  with  unabating 
faith  and  zeal;  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  any 
man  who  ever  lived  contributed  more  than  he  to 
spread  just  sentiment  on  the  subject  of  war,  and  to 
hasten  the  era  of  universal  peace.  He  began  his 
efforts  in  the  darkest  day,  when  the  whole  civilised 
world  was  shaken  by  conflict  and  threatened  with 
military  despotism.  He  lived  to  see  more  than  twenty 
years  of  general  peace,  and  to  see  through  these  years 
the  multiplication  of  national  ties,  an  extension  of 
commercial  communications,  an  establishment  of  new 
connections  between  Christians  and  learned  men 
throughout  the  world,  and  a  growing  reciprocity  of 
friendly  and  beneficent  influence  among  different 
States,  all  giving  aid  to  the  principles  of  peace,  and 
encouraging  hopes  which  a  century  ago  would  have 
been  deemed  insane." 

Noah  Worcester,  born  at  Hollis,  New  Hampshire, 
November  25,  1758,  was  the  sou  of  a  farmer,  and 
until  the  age  of  twenty-one  worked  on  the  farm.     His 

1  Sermon  entitled  "  The  Philanthropist,  a  Tribute  to  the  Memory  of 
the  Rev.  Noah  Worcester,  D.D."  Channing's  Works,  People's  Edition, 
vol.  ii.  p.  251,  &c,     Belfast:  Simms  &  M'lntyre,  1S43. 


NOAH  WORCESTER,  D.D.  357 

father's  means  were  limited,  and  the  education  of  the 
family  was  stinted  in  consequence.      When  hostilities 
commenced  between  the  American  Colonies  and  Great 
Britain,  young  Worcester,  then  only  about   eighteen 
years  of  age,  became  a  soldier  and  fought  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker's  Hill.      It  is  said  that  his  disgust  with  the 
vices  of  soldier  life,  and  horror  at  the  awful  sights  of 
the  battle-field,  drove  him  from  the  army  and  made 
him  for  ever  afterwards  a  hater  of  war  and  an  advo- 
cate of  peace.      Eeturning  to  farm  life,  he  divided  his 
time  between  outdoor  labour  and  shoemaking,  which 
occupation  he  followed  when  the  darkness  of  night- 
time or  the  cold  of  winter  prevented  his  working  in 
the  fields.      He   also  betook  himself  earnestly  to  the 
work   of   self-education.      Like   many    another    shoe- 
maker, he  made  his  workroom  his  study.      The  mate- 
rials for  the  improvement  of  his  mind  lay  all  round 
his   bench — books,  pens,   ink,    paper,  &c.      An  early 
marriage  increased  the  difficulties  of  his  situation  as 
a  poor  student,  yet  he  managed  by  dint   of  extra- 
ordinary application  to  improve  himself  and  become 
fit  for  the  ministry  before  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
thirty.      His    first  church  was  small,  and  his  salary 
amounted  to  only  two  hundred  dollars  (^^45)-     Many 
of  the  members  were  poor,  and  the  conscientious  pastor 
could  not  allow  them  to  pay  their  share  to  his  support. 
On  this  account  he  often  gave  up  as  much  as  a  quarter 
of  his  salary  in  the  year,  getting  through  as  best  he 
could  by  a  little   farming  and  a  good  deal  of   shoe- 
making.     When  times  were  bad  he  turned  his  "  study" 
into    a    day-school   and    taught    the   children   of   his 
parishioners    for    nothing.      "  His    first    book    was    a 
series  of  letters  to  a  Baptist  minister,  and  in  this  he 


358  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

gave  promise  of  the  direction  the  efforts  of  his  life 
were  to  assume."  Its  aim  was  to  promote  unity 
among  men  of  different  denominations.  Later  on  he 
published  a  remarkable  book,  which  made  no  small 
stir  in  its  day,  entitled  "  Bible  News  Eelating  to  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit ; "  and  a  second  on  the 
same  subject,  under  the  title  "  Letters  to  Trinitarians." 
"  These  works,"  says  Channing,  "  obtained  such  favour, 
that  he  was  solicited  to  leave  the  obscure  town  in 
which  he  ministered,  and  to  take  charge  in  this  place 
(Brighton,  Mass.)  of  a  periodical  at  first  called  the 
'  Christian  Disciple,'  and  now  better  known  as  the 
'  Christian  Examiner.' "  ^ 

At  length  he  issued,  in  1 8 1 4,  the  famous  pamphlet 
by  which  his  name  became  known  and  honoured 
among  Christian  men  and  lovers  of  peace  throughout  the 
world.  It  bore  the  title  "  A  Solemn  Eeview  of  the  Cus- 
tom of  War."  No  more  eftective  tract  was  ever  printed. 
It  was  translated  into  several  of  the  languages  of 
Europe,  The  impression  it  produced  in  America  led  to 
the  formation  of  the  "  Peace  Society  of  Massachusetts." 
Worcester's  views  on  war  were  identical  with  those  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  "  He  interpreted  literally  the 
precept,  '  Eesist  not  evil,'  and  believed  that  nations  as 
well  as  individuals  would  find  safety  as  well  as  fulfil 
righteousness  in  yielding  it  literal  obedience.  .  .  . 
He  believed  that  no  mightier  man  ever  trod  the  earth 
than  William  Penn  when  entering  the  wildnerness 
unarmed,  and  stretching  out  to  the  savage  a  hand 
which  refused  all  earthly  weapons  in  token  of  peace 
and  brotherhood."  So  absorbed  was  he  in  this  great 
theme,  that  he  declared,  eight  years  after  his  famous 

^  Written  iu  I  S3  7. 


\ 

ROGER  SHERMAN.  359 

pamphlet  was  issued,  that  "  its  subject  had  not  been 
out  of  his  mind  when  awake  an  hour  at  a  time  during 
the  whole  period."  He  died  at  Brighton,  Mass.,  in  his 
eightieth  year,  3  i  st  October  1838.  It  was  his  wish 
to  have  written  on  his  tombstone  the  words,  "  He  wrote 
the  '  Friend  of  Peace.'  "  Dr.  Chanuing's  testimony  to 
Dr.  Worcester's  character  is  the  highest  one  man  can 
bear  to  another.  He  says,  "  Two  views  of  him  parti- 
cularly impressed  me.  The  first  was  the  unity,  the 
harmony  of  his  character.  He  had  no  jarring  elements. 
His  whole  nature  had  been  blended  and  melted  into 
one  strong,  serene  love.  His  mission  was  to  preach 
peace,  and  he  preached  it,  not  on  set  occasions  or  by 
separate  efforts,  but  in  liis  whole  life.  .  .  .  My  acquaint- 
ance with  him  gave  me  clearer  comprehension  of  the 
spirit  of  Christ  and  the  dignity  of  man." 

Worcester  received  his  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
from  Dartmouth  College,  and  his  diploma  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  from  Harvard. 


ROGER  SHERMAN, 
One  of  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  iNDErENDENCE. 

Another  famous  American  citizen,  contemporary  dur- 
ing the  early  part  of  his  life  with  Noah  Worcester, 
was  Koger  Sherman,  who  was  born  at  Xewton,  Massa- 
chusetts, 19th  April  1 72  I.  Until  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  was  a  shoemaker,  and  from  the  age  of  twenty 
supported  his  widowed  mother  and  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  and  found  the  means  to  enable 
two  brothers  to  enter  the  ministry.      At  this  time  he 


36o  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

devoted  his  leisure  to  the  study  of  mathematics  and 
astronomy.  In  1743  he  laid  aside  the  awl,  and  left 
his  native  place  to  settle  at  New  Milford,  Connecticut, 
where  he  joined  his  elder  brother  in  keeping  a  small 
store.  His  accomplishments  very  soon  led  to  his  ap- 
pointment as  surveyor  of  roads.  While  holding  this 
otfice  he  began  the  study  of  law,  and  made  such  pro- 
gress that  in  1745,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1748  he  began  to  supply  the 
astronomical  calculations  for  a  New  York  almanac. 
His  life  as  a  legislator  commenced  with  his  member- 
ship of  the  Connecticut  Assembly,  where  he  held  a 
seat  during  several  sessions.  The  appointment  of 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  was  given  him  in 
1759,  and  again  in  1765,  at  New  Haven,  whither  he 
had  removed  four  years  previously.  He  was  made  an 
assistant  in  1766,  and  held  the  office  for  nineteen 
years.  The  judgeship  was  not  resigned  until  1789, 
part  of  the  time  since  his  appointment  having  been 
spent  on  the  bench  of  the  Superior  Court. 

Roger  Sherman's  connection  with  the  American  Con- 
gress was  long  and  highly  honourable.  He  became  a 
Congressman  in  1774,  and  served  his  country  faith- 
fully in  that  capacity  for  nearly  twenty  years  till  the 
time  of  his  death,  at  which  time  he  held  a  seat  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  He  was  appointed  also 
as  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Safety.  During  the 
last  nine  years  of  his  life  he  was  Mayor  of  New  Haven. 
For  many  years  he  held  the  honourable  office  of  trea- 
surer of  Yale  College. 

In  the  year  1766  Sherman  was  placed  on  the 
Commission  appointed  to  draught  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  he  was  one  of  those  who  afterwards 


ROGER  SHERMAN.  361 

signed  the  Declaration.  Having  been  one  of  those 
who  framed  the  old  "  Articles  of  Confederation,"  and 
a  very  useful  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1787,  his  services  in  obtaining  the  endorse- 
ment or  ratification  of  the  Constitution  by  his  own 
State  Convention  (i.e.,  of  Connecticut)  were  of  the 
utmost  value. 

The  foregoing  statements  will  sufficiently  show  how 
well  the  quondam  shoemaker  of  Massachusetts  earned 
the  noble  name  of  Patriot.  Few  men  in  his  day  did 
more  solid  and  lasting  public  work.  Although  he  was 
a  man  of  remarkably  cool,  deliberate  judgment,  he  was 
none  the  less  an  enthusiast  in  the  cause  of  political 
freedom  and  independence.  During  the  War  of  Inde- 
pendence he  urged  his  compatriots  by  every  means 
in  his  power  to  resist  the  English  claims  to  impose 
taxation  upon  the  colonies.  He  never  swerved  for  a 
moment  from  the  view  he  first  took  on  the  crucial 
question  of  "  taxation  without  representation,"  but 
always  avowed  his  firm  conviction  that  "  no  European 
Government  would  ever  give  its  sanction  to  such  unfair 
legislation."  His  rectitude  and  integrity  were  unim- 
peachable, and  his  "  rare  good  sense "  made  him  a 
man  of  mark  even  among  the  noteworthy  men  of  the 
first  Federal  Congress.  Mr.  Macon  used  to  say  of 
him,  "  Roger  Sherman  had  more  common-sense  than 
any  man  I  ever  knew ; "  and  Thomas  Jefferson  was 
wont  to  declare  that  Eoger  Sherman  was  "  a  man  who 
never  said  a  foolish  thing  in  his  life."  To  this  opinion 
of  his  judgment  and  mental  qualities  may  be  added  a 
valuable  estimate  of  his  moral  and  religious  character. 
Goodrich^  says  that  Sherman  "  having  made  a  public 

^  In  "American  Biographical  Dictionary."  Boston :  J.  P.  Jewett  k  Co. 


362  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

profession  of  religion  in  early  life,  was  never  ashamed 
to  advocate  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  which 
are  often  so  unwelcome  to  men  of  worldly  eminence. 
His  sentiments  were  derived  from  the  Word  of  God, 
and  not  from  his  own  reason." 

The  life  of  this  man  of  "patriot  fame"^  came  to  an 
end,  July  23,  1793.  His  good  name  is  in  no  danger 
of  being  lost  to  posterity,  for  in  addition  to  his  own 
personal  claim  to  immortality,  he  gave  "  hostages  to 
fortune  "  in  a  family  of  fifteen  children,  one  of  whom, 
his  namesake,  died  in  1856  at  the  patriarchal  age  of 
eighty-eight. 


HENRY  WILSON,  ''THE  NATICK  COBBLER:' 

Among  the  political  leaders  of  modern  times  Henry 
Wilson  long  held  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  United 
States.  His  early  connection  with  the  gentle  craft 
procured  for  him  the  familiar  and  not  unfriendly 
sobriquet  "  The  Natick  Cobbler."  Wilson  was  boiii 
at  Farnington,  New  Hampshire,  February  16,  1 8 1 2. 
From  his  schoolboy  days  until  he  entered  on  political 
life  he  seems  to  have  been  connected  both  with  shoe- 
making  and  farming,  but  chiefly  with  the  former 
occupation.  Part  of  this  time,  viz.,  from  1832  to 
1837,  he  was  a  thorough-going  son  of  Crispin,  w^ork- 
ing  on  the  stool  from  daylight  till  dusk.  From  1837 
to  I  840  he  was  still  connected  with  the  trade,  but  in 
the  more  ambitious  position  of  a  "  shoe  manufacturer." 
In  the  year  1840  he  devoted  himself  to  the  life  of  a 

^  See  the  allusion  to  Sherman  in  Whittier's  lines,  given  below. 


HENRY  WILSON.  363 

politician.  The  office  of  President  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Senate  was  held  by  him  in  185  i  and  1852. 
Three  years  after  this  he  became  a  senator  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  same  State.  This  honour  he  held  for 
seventeen  years,  that  is,  till  1872.  In  1861  he  was 
made  Colonel  of  the  Twenty- Second  Massachusetts 
Volunteers.  The  highest  office  to  which  he  attained 
was  that  of  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  which 
post  he  held  from  1872  to  1875,  the  year  of  his 
death.  Henry  Wilson  was  held  at  the  time  of  his 
death  in  general  and  hearty  esteem  for  the  valuable 
services  which  he  had  rendered  for  thirty-five  years 
to  his  country.  Like  many  another  famous  son  of  St. 
Crispin,  The  Natick  Collier  was  a  friend  of  freedom 
and  a  sworn  foe  to  all  kinds  of  tyranny.  For  many 
years  he  stood  side  by  side  with  the  best  men  in  the 
Northern  States,  fighting  the  battle  of  liberation  for 
the  slaves,  and  at  last  was  permitted  to  rejoice  with 
them  in  the  triumph  of  the  good  cause. 

One  is  very  much  tempted  to  multiply  instances  of 
men  like  Wilson,  who,  having  begun  life  as  shoemakers, 
found  their  way  into  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 
Seven  such  men  at  least  have  sat  in  Congress  during 
the  present  century.-^      It  may  also  be  mentioned  here 

^  These  are  Roger  Sherman  and  Henry  Wilson,  already  noticed,  and 
Daniel  Sheffey,  Gideon  Lee,  William  Claflin,  John  B.  Alley,  and  H.  P. 
Baldwin.  In  answer  to  the  question,  "  What  shoemaker  has  risen  to 
political  or  literary  eminence  in  the  United  States  ?  "  a  writer  in  the 
Philadelphia  "  Dispatch,"  besides  speaking  of  the  four  remarkable  men 
we  have  selected  as  examples,  says,  "  There  are  other  famous  names  of 
graduates  from  that  profession.  Daniel  Sheff'ei/  of  Virginia  learned  the 
trade,  and  worked  at  it  many  years,  and  from  1809  to  1S17  represented 
his  district  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  His  retort  to  John 
Randolph  of  Roanoke,  who  taunted  him  on  the  floor  of  Congress  with 
his  former  occupation,  was,  '  The  difference,  sir,  between  my  colleague 


364  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

that  Franklin  in  his  Autobiography  speaks  of  a  mem- 
her  of  the  Junto,  a  "  William  Parsons,  bred  a  shoe- 
maker, but  loving  reading,  who  acquired  a  considerable 
share  of  mathematics,"  and  "  became  surveyor-general ; " 
and  that  Philip  Kirtland,  a  shoemaker  from  Sherring- 
ton, Buckinghamshire,  who  settled  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  in 
1635,  was  the  founder  of  the  immense  trade  in  boots 
and  shoes,  for  which  that  city  has  obtained  an  un- 
rivalled name  throughout  the  States. 


/   G.    WHITTIER,  "  THE  QUAKER  POETr 

The  last  name  we  have  to  give  in  this  long,  but  still 
incomplete,  list  of  illustrious  shoemakers  is  that  of 
John  Greenleaf  Whittier,  who  happily  is  still  living 
to  charm  and  educate  the  English-speaking  people  on 
both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  with  his  simple,  spirit-stirriug 
poetry.  Whittier  is  frequently  spoken  of  in  the  States 
as  the  Quaker  Poet.  This  designation  is  sufficiently 
distinctive,  for  poets  are  not  very  numerous  in  the 
Society  of  Friends.  Preachers,  j)atriots,  philanthro- 
pists, orators,  and  writers  of  prose  are  numerous  enough, 
but  poets  are  very  hard  to  find  in  this  intensely  ear- 
nest and  practical  religious  community. 

and  myself  is  this,  that  if  his  lot  had  been  cast  like  mine  in  early  life, 
instead  of  rising,  by  industry,  enterprise,  and  study,  above  his  calling, 
and  occupying  a  seat  on  this  floor,  he  would  at  this  time  be  engaged  in 
making  shoes  on  the  bench. '  .  .  .  Gideon  Lee,  a  mayor  of  New  York 
City,  and  a  member  of  Congress  from  about  1 840  to  1 844,  was  a  work- 
ing shoemaker,  and  afterwards  a  leather  dealer.  William  Claflin,  an 
ex-governor  of  Massachusetts  and  a  member  of  Congress,  worked  at  the 
.shoemaker's  trade  when  young,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  a  very  large 
shoe-manufacturing  firm.  John  B.  Alley,  an  ex -member  of  Congress 
from  Massachusetts,  was  in  the  shoe  trade,  as  was  also  H.  P.  Buldmn, 
ex-governor  of  Michigan,  and  ex-member  of  the  Congress  from  that 
State." 


J.    cj.    \viir]rii:K 


J.  G.   WHITTIER.  365 

Like  his  co-religionists  in  every  generation  since 
the  days  of  George  Fox  and  William  Penn,  Whittier 
is  "  right  on  all  points  "  relating  to  social  and  religious 
reform.  The  assistance  his  vigorous,  thrilling  lines 
have  given  to  every  philanthropic  movement  in  the 
United  States  is  beyond  calculation.  For  many  years 
he  was  the  Hans  Sachs  or  Ehenezer  Elliott  of  the  Libera- 
tion cause,  giving  similar  help  by  his  songs  to  the 
work  of  emancipation  in  America  to  that  which  the 
German  gave  to  the  cause  of  Protestantism  on  the 
continent  of  Europe,  and  the  Englishman  gave  to  the 
labours  of  the  Anti-Corn  Law  League  in  Great  Britain. 

His  father  was  a  farmer  at  Haverhill,  Massachu- 
setts, where  the  poet  was  born  in  i  807.  He  remained 
on  the  farm  until  he  was  nearly  nineteen  years  of 
age,  and  divided  his  time  between  field  -  work  and 
shoemaking.  In  1825  he  was  sent  to  a  college  be- 
longing to  the  Society  of  Friends.  Four  years  after 
this  he  became  editor  of  "  The  American  Manufac- 
turer," which  office  he  held  for  only  twelve  months, 
and  then  resigned  in  order  to  take  the  management 
of  the  "New  England  Weekly  Eeview."  In  1832  he 
went  back  to  the  old  home,  worked  on  the  farm,  and 
edited  "  The  Haverhill  Gazette."  Twice  he  repre- 
sented Haverhill  in  tlie  State  Legislature.  All  through 
life  he  has  been  a  strong  and  consistent  anti-slavery 
advocate,  and  at  various  times  has  been  made  secretary 
of  societies  and  editor  of  papers  whose  aim  has  been 
the  abolition  of  slavery.  About  1838-39  he  became 
the  editor  of  the  Pennsylvania  Freeman,  an  ardent 
anti-slavery  paper.  It  required  no  small  amount  of 
courage  to  advocate  freedom  for  the  slave  in  those 
days.  On  one  occasion  Whittier's  office  was  sur- 
rounded  by    a    mob,    who    plundered    and    set    fire 


366  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

to  the  building.  His  published  works  in  prose 
and  verse  are  very  numerous,  beginning  with  the 
"Legends  of  New  England"  in  1831,  and  coming 
down  to  volumes  of  verse  like  "  The  King's  Missive, 
Mabel  Martin,  and  Later  Poems,"  ^  &c.,  published 
within  the  last  few  years.  Through  all  his  writings 
there  runs  a  healthy  moral  tone,  and  his  poetry  is 
no  less  distinguished  for  purity  of  sentiment  than  for 
sweetness  of  numbers  and  true  poetic  fire.  No  man 
in  New  England,  nor,  indeed,  in  the  States,  has  earned 
a  better  title  to  the  thanks  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
countrymen  than  the  "  Quaker  Poet,"  who  began 
the  hard  work  of  life  by  blending  the  duties  of  the 
farm  with  the  occupation  of  a  shoemaker.  Whittier 
College  at  Salem,  Iowa,  was  established  and  named  in 
his  honour. 

Whittier  has  never  forgotten  his  connection  with 
the  gentle  craft  in  early  life  ;  nor  has  he  been  ashamed 
to  own  fellowship  with  its  humble  but  worthy  mem- 
bers. What  he  thinks  of  the  craft  itself,  and  of  the 
spirit  of  the  men  who  have  followed  it,  may  be  learnt 
from  his  lines  addressed  to  shoemakers  in  the  "  Songs 
of  Labour,"  published  in  1850: — 


1  In  a  review  of  this  last  volume  of  Whittier's  poems  (Macmillan  & 
Co.).  a  writer  in  the  "AthenEeuin"  (February  l8,  1882)  gives  the  follow- 
ing just  estimate  of  Whittier's  character  and  merits  as  a  man  and  a 
poet  :— "  The  poems  in  this  collection  .  .  .  show  that  delicate  appre- 
hension of  nature,  that  deep-seated  sympathy  with  suffering  mankind, 
that  unwavering  love  of  liberty  and  all  things  lovable,  that  earnest 
belief  in  a  spirit  of  beneficence  guiding  to  right  issues  the  affairs  of  the 
world,  that  beautiful  tolerance  of  differences— in  a  word,  all  those  high 
qualities  which,  being  fused  with  imagination,  make  Mr.  Whittier,  not 
indeed  an  analytical  and  subtle  poet,  nor  a  poet  dealing  with  great 
passions,  but  what  he  is  emphatically,  the  apostle  of  all  that  is  pure, 
fair,  and  morally  beautiful. 


J.  G.   WHITTIER.  367 

TO  SHOEMAKERS. 

Ho  !  workers  of  the  old  time,  styled 
The  Gentle  Craft  of  Leather  ! 
Young  brothers  of  the  ancient  giiild, 
Stand  forth  once  more  together  ! 
Call  out  again  your  long  array, 
In  the  olden  merry  manner  ! 
Once  more,  on  gay  St.  Crispin's  Daj', 
Fling  out  your  blazoned  banner  ! 

Rap,  rap  !  upon  the  well-worn  stone 

How  falls  the  polislied  hammer  ! 

Rap,  rap  !  the  measured  sound  has  grown 

A  quick  and  merry  clamour. 

Now  shape  the  sole  !  now  deftly  curl 

The  glossy  A'^amp  around  it, 

And  bless  the  while  the  bright-eyed  girl 

Whose  gentle  fingers  bound  it ! 

For  you,  along  the  Spanish  main 
A  hundred  keels  are  ploughing  ; 
For  you,  the  Indian  on  the  plain 
His  lasso-coil  is  throwing  ; 
For  3'ou,  deep  glens  with  hemlock  dark 
The  woodman's  fire  is  lighting  ; 
For  you,  iipon  the  oak's  grey  bark 
The  woodman's  axe  is  smiting. 

For  you,  from  Carolina's  pine 

The  rosin-gum  is  stealing  ; 

For  you,  the  dark-eyed  Florentine 

Her  silken  skein  is  reeling  ; 

For  you,  the  dizzy  goatherd  roams 

His  rugged  Alpine  ledges  ; 

For  you,  round  all  her  shepherd  homes 

Bloom  England's  thorny  hedges. 

The  foremost  still,  by  day  or  night, 
On  moated  mound  or  heather, 
Where'er  the  need  of  trampled  right 
Brought  toiling  men  together  ; 


368  ILLUSTRIOUS  SHOEMAKERS. 

Where  the  free  burghers  from  the  wall 
Defied  the  mail-clad  master, 
Than  yours,  at  Freedom's  trumpet-call, 
No  craftsmen  rallied  faster. 

Let  foplings  sneer,  let  fools  deride, — 

Ye  heed  no  idle  scorner  ; 

Free  hands  and  hearts  are  still  your  pride, 

And  duty  done  your  honour. 

Ye  dare  to  trust,  for  honest  fame, 

The  jury  Time  empanels, 

And  leave  to  truth  each  noble  name 

Which  glorifies  your  annals. 

Thy  songs,  Hans  Sachs,  are  living  yet, 

In  strong  and  hearty  German  ; 

And  Bloomfield's  lay,  and  Gifford's  wit. 

And  patriot  fame  of  Sherman  ; 

Still  from  his  book,  a  mystic  seer. 

The  soul  of  Behmen  teaches. 

And  England's  priestcraft  shakes  to  hear 

Of  Fox's  leathern  breeches. 

The  foot  is  yours  ;  where'er  it  falls. 

It  treads  your  well-wrought  leather, 

On  earthen  floor,  in  marble  halls, 

On  carpet,  or  on  heather. 

Still  there  the  sweetest  charm  is  found 

Of  matron  grace  or  vestal's, 

As  Hebe's  foot  bore  nectar  round 

Among  the  old  celestials  ! 

Eap,  rap  !  your  stout  and  bluff  brogan. 

With  footsteps  slow  and  weary. 

May  wander  where  the  sky's  blue  span 

Shuts  AovTD.  upon  the  prairie. 

On  beauty's  foot,  your  slippers  glance 

By  Saratoga's  fountains, 

Or  twinkle  down  the  summer  dance 

Beneath  the  crystal  mountains  1 


W.  G.  WHITTIER.  369 

The  red  brick  to  the  mason's  hand, 

The  brown  earth  to  tlie  tiller's, 

The  shoe  in  yours  shall  wealth  command, 

Like  fairy  Cinderella's ! 

As  they  who  shunned  the  household  maid 

Beheld  the  crown  upon  her, 

So  all  shall  see  your  toil  repaid 

With  heart  and  liome  and  honour. 

Then  let  the  toast  be  freely  quaffed, 
In  water  cool  and  brimming, — 
"  All  honour  to  the  good  old  Craft 
Its  merry  men  and  women  ! " 
Call  out  again  your  long  array, 
In  the  old  time's  pleasant  manner  : 
Once  more,  on  gay  St.  Crispin's  Day, 
Fling  out  his  blazoned  banner. 


2  A 


INDEX. 


Adult  schools  at  Gainsborough,  started 
by  J.  F.  Winks  and  T.  Cooper,  202,  203 
Akiba,  Ben  Josepli,  240,  241 
Alexander  of  Comana,  238 
Alexandria,  the  pious  cobbler  of,  239 
Alley,  John  B.,  364 
Andersen,  Hans  C,  26^ 
Angling,  book  on,  by  Younger,  319,  320 
Anniauus  of  Alexandria,  236 
Ansell  and  the  battle  of  Aughram,  317 
Apelles  and  the  cobbler,  235,  236 
Aslimole,  Elias,  and  Bartridge,  285 
Askham,  John,  322 
Athenaeum,  quoted  from,  128,  320,  366 

Baldwin,  H.  P.,  364 

Baptist  jubilee  memorial,  150 

Baptist  missions  commenced  by  Carey 

and  Thomas,  166,  167 
Barebones,  Praise  God,  278 
Baudouin,  the  learned,  249,  250 
Baviad  and  Majviad,  80,  90,  95-97 
Benbow  and  nautical  songs,  4 
Bennet,  John,  poet,  297 
Bennett,  Timothy,  of  Hampton- Wick,  271 
Bentinck,     Lady,     visits    Carey    when 

dying,  173 
Berridge,  John,  and  John  Thorp,  335 
Blacket,  Joseph,  308-313 
Blanshard's  Life  of  Bradburn,  67, 68,  71-75 
Bloomfield  and  Blacket,  308,  309 
Bloomfield,  George,  103-106,  108,  308 
Bloomfield,  Nathnniel,'  103,  108,  308 
Bloomfield,   liobert,   a  fai-mer's    boy   at 
Sapiston,  103 

a  ladies'  shoemaker,  202 

becomes  a  shoemaker,  104-105 

birth  and  childhood,  102-103 

his  first  poems,  106,  107 

his  mother,  103,  104,  114 

his  last  years,   death,    and   bin-ial, 

113,  114 

life  in  London,  104-112 

list  of  his  poems,  106,  107,  112 

marriage  of,  108 

method    of    composing   "The   Far- 
mer's Boy,"  log 

poetical   tributes  in  "Blackwood," 

&c.,  115,  116 


Bloomfield,  Robert,  publishes  "The  Far- 
mer's Boy,"  no,  III 

Bcehmen,  Jacob,  the  mystic,  258-260 

opinions  of,  by  Charles  1.,  William 

Law,  &c.,  259,  260 

Bowden,  Mr.,  of  Taunton,  Lackington's 
master,  24 

Bradburn,  Samuel,  and  Charles  Wesley, 
69 

and  the  clergyman,  72,  73 

anecdotes  of  early  preaching,  634 

born  at  Gibraltar,  51 

called  to  be  a  preacher,  61 

circuits  he  travelled  in,  65,  67,  68,  76 

death  and  burial,  76 

early  life  at  Chester,  52-60 

eloquence  as  a  preacher,  70-72 

his  conversion,  52-55 

his  father  pressed  into  the  army,  50 

his  first  sermon,  61 

his  marriage  with  Betsy  Xanglo,  67 

his  marriage  with  Sophia  Cooke,  69 

his  mother  a  Welshwom.au,  51 

his  mother's  death,  note,  65 

his  wit  and  humour,  anecdotes  of, 

74-76 

off'ered  the  pa.storate  of  an  Indepen- 
dent Church,  68 

overtaken  in  a  fault,  76 

President  of  Wesleyau  Conference, 

70 

Brizzio,  Francesco,  262 

Bruce's  "  Elegy  written  in  Spring,''  301 

Buch,  Henry  "Michael,  "Good  Henry," 
250-254 

Bunyan  and  Bradburn  compared,  54 

Burnet,  Kcv.  John,  339-342 

Bushcy  Park  and  Timothy  Bennett,  273 

Byron,  Lord,  allusion  to  GifTord,  92 

Campion's    "Delightful    History    of    ye 
Gentle  Craft,"  238,  247,  294,  313,  339 
Capellini,  )7  Caligarlno,  261 
Carey  and  Thomas  sail  for  India,  i56 
Carey.  Eustace,  "Life  of  Dr.  Carey,"  151 
William,  abilities   a.s   a  shoemaker, 

150-  151 

and  Hev.  John  Byland,  160,  163,  164 

an  enthusiast,  162,  163 


372 


INDEX. 


Carey  apprenticed  to  a  Shoemaker,  153, 

154 

baptized  by  Rev.  J.  Ryland,  157 

D.D.  conferred  on  him   by  Brown 

University,  170 

first  Bengali  New  Testament,  169 

first  marriage  a  mistake,  159 

first  sermon  and  pastorate,  157 

first  study  of  languages,  152-154.  157 

first  thought  of  missions  to  heathen, 

161 

his  death,  173 

his  famous  sermon  at  Nottingham, 

165 

his  self-sacrificing  spirit,  168 

life  briefly  sketched,  147-149 

life  in  India,  167-174 

lives  at  Moulton,  159-163 

"Only  a  Cobbler,"  150,  151 

pamphlet  on  Missions,  164 

parentage  and  birth  and  childhood, 

151-154 

Professor   of   Oriental    Languages, 

Calcutta,  148,  168 

.—  removes  to  Leicester,  164 
Crrlisle,  GifTord's  guardian,  81-83 
Cailyle  on  Hans  Sachs,  257 

Thomas,  and  Thomas  Cooper,  222 

Carter,   Edward,    Esq.,   friend  to  John 

Pounds,  177,  187 
Castell,  Richard,    "Ye  Cocke  of  West- 
minster," 269 
Caxton  Printing  Establishment  and  S. 

Drew,  141 
Chambers's  "  Book  of  Days,"  280 
Channing  on  Noah  Worcester,  356-359 
Charles,  Rev.  Thomas,  of  Bala,  162 
Chartists  and  Thomas  Cooper,  216-219 
Chartist  Newspapers  edited  by  Thomas 

Cooper,  217 
Christ's  Hospital  and  Rich.ard  CasteU,  270 
Clafflin,  William,  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts. 364 
Clarke,   Dr.  Adam,   and  Samuel  Drew, 

126,  139 
Coke,  Dr.,  and  S.  Drew,  139-141 
Coleridge,  S.  T.,  and  Boehmen,  260 

and  shoemakers,  231 

Cooksley,  Dr.,  Gififord's  friend.  87,  88 
William,  son  of  Dr.  Cooksley,   Gif- 

ford's  will  in  favour  of,  95 
Cooper,    Robert,    mistaken    for    Thomai 

Cooper.  225 
Cooper,  Thomas,  a  copyist  at  the  Board 

of  Health,  225 
Cooper,    Thomas,   and   "Stamford   Mer- 

cuiy,"  213,  214 

a  sceptic,  his  lectures  as,  222-224  ; 

footnote,  225 

as  a  lecturer  on  Christianity,  226-228 

becomes  a  shoemaker,  200 

birth  and  parentage,  194 

childhood  at  Exeter,  194-199 

early  studies  while  a  shoemaker, 

200-208 


Cooper,  Thomas,  editorship  and  author- 
ship in  1848-49,  224 
final  conversion  to  Christianity,  224- 

226 

first  poem,  201 

his  connection  with  the  Methodists, 

211,  212 

his  excessive  studies,  207,  208 

his  first  published  poems,  212 

in  Stafford  jail,  219,  220 

lectures  at  City  Hall,  London,  on 

Theism,  225 

life  in  Leicester,  215-219 

life  in  Lincoln,  212- 

life  in  London,  214-216 

list  of  his  writings,  221,  224,  228 

marries  Miss  Jobson,  212 

professes  Christianity  in  Baptism  by 

immersion,  226 

schoolboy  days,  197-199 

sets  up  a  school,  209,  210 

the  railway  accident,  225 

trial  at  Stafford  and  in  London,  218, 

219 
Craggs.  Secretary,  278 
Crispin  and  Crispianus,  245-249 
Crispin  anecdotes,  247,  278,  287,  295,  313 
Crocker,  Charles,  321,  322 
Cromwell  and  Fox,  324-5 
Cruickshank  and  O'Neill,  316-319 
Curwen's  ''  History  of  Booksellers,"  37, 

41,92 

D'Albrione,  Signor,  213 

Davies,  Ann,  Gifford's  lines  on,  98 

Dekker,  Thomas,  294,  295 

Delia  Crusoan  School,  80,  90 

Deloney's  "  History  of  Gentle  Craft,"  247, 

294,  29s 
Dennis,  friend  of  Lackington,  34 
Devlin.  James,  313 

Deyof  Tripoli  and  Lieutenant  Shovel,  8-io 
D'tsraeli,  Mr.,  and  Thomas  Cooper,  221 
"Dramatists,  Early  English,"  edited  by 

Gifford,  80,  91 
Drew,  Samuel,  as  a  preacher,  139,  141 
as  editor  and  author,  list  of  works, 

139-141 

apprenticeship  days,  122-126 

attempts  at  poetry,  133,  134 

begins  to  study,  127-130 

birth  and  childhood,  120,  122 

competes  for  prize  of  ^1500,  140 

conversion,    joins    the   Wesleyans, 

126,  127 

defence  of  the  Methodists,  135 

his  generosity,  132 

his  method  of  writing  books  while 

a  shoemaker,  137,  138 

his  works  on  immortality  of  the 

soul,  135,  136 

honours  conferred  on,  141,  142 

last  days,  142,  143 

lives  in  Liverpool  and  London,  141, 

142 


INDEX. 


373 


Drew,  Samuel,  marriage,  133 

narrow  escape  from  drowning,  125 

quits  the  shoemaker's  stall,  138 

starts  in  business  on  ^^5,  his  thrift, 

130,  131 

the  midnight  -visitor,  133 

writes  "  Remarks  ou  Paine's  Age  of 

Reason,"  134 
Duncombe,    T.    S.,   M.P.,   and    Thomas 

Cooper,  220,  221 

Elliott,  Ebenezer,  and  John  Younger, 

320 
Eyre,  Sir  Simon,  Lord  Mayor  of  London, 

295 

Fletcher,  vicar  of  Madely  and  Brad- 
burn,  63 

Foster,  John,  313 

Fox,  George,  323 

Fullarton's  "  Lives  of  Eminent  English- 
men," 92 

Fuller,  Rev.  Andrew,  the  friend  of  Carey, 
160,  164,  165  • 

Gainsborough  the  painter,  102 

Gentle  Craft,  &c.,  origin  of  the  terms, 

note,  247 
George  III.  and  Shillitoe,  331,  332 
Gifford,  William,  and   Lord  Grosvenor, 

88,  89 

childhood  and  youth,  83-87 

editorship  of  London  "  Quarterly," 

79.  80,  91-95 

first  attempts  at  verse,  85 

his  character,  92-95 

parentage  and  Vjirth,  81 

private  tutor  to  Lord  Belgrave,  88 

story  of  the  candle,  94 

translations  of  Persius  and  Juvenal, 

90 

works  his  sumsonpiecesof  leather,  84 

Goethe's  opinion  of  Hans  Sachs,  257 
Grafton,  the  duke  of.  and  Bloomfield,  112 
Grainger's  "Biographical  History,"  277, 

281,  282 
Gray's  Elegy,  301 
Gregory  Thaumaturgus,  238 
Grosvenor,  Lord,  afriend  to  Gifford,  88, 89 
Guilds  or  fraternities  of  shoemakers  in 

Paris,  251,  253 
Guthrie,  Dr.,  anecdotes  and  stories,  179 
on  John  Pounds,  178,  179 

Halifax,  Lord,  and  Timothy  Bennett, 

271,  272 
Hanley,  Thomas  Cooper's  speech  at,  218 
Hardy,  Thomas,  348,  349 
"  Helrasley,"  the  tune  ;   who  composed 

it?  304 
Hewson,  Colonel,  the  Cerdon  of  Hudi- 

bras,  277-280 
Holcroft,  Thomas,  304 
Hook,  Dr. ,  of  Leeds,  and  Thomas  Cooper, 

226 


Howard,  John,  162 

Hudibras  and  Colonel  Hewson,  279 

Hugh,  Saint,  295 

Huntingdon,  William,  S.S.,' 335-337 

Imperial  Dictionary  of  Biography,  315, 

336 
Iphicrates,  266 
Ireland,  Dr.,  Lines  to,  by  Gififord,  97 

Jackson's  Lives  of  Methodist  Preachers, 

301 
Jameson,  Mrs.,  on  S.  Crispin  legendary 

art,  248 
Jefferson  on  Roger  Sherman,  361 
Jerrold,  Douglas,  and  Thomas   Cooper, 

221,  222 
Jocbanan,  Rabbi,  240 
Johnstone,  J.,  313 

Jones,  John,  friend  of  Lackington,  26 
Jong,  Ludolph  de,  264 

Kettering,   first  collection  for  Baptist 

Mi.s.sions,  165 
Kiugsley,    Rev.    Charles,    and   Thomas 

Cooper,  225 
Kirtland,  Philip,  of  Lynn,  Mass.,  364 
Kitto,  Rev.  John,  D.  D.,  342-346 
Knowles,  Herbert,  "Lines,"  (Sic,  301 
Krishnu,  Carey's  first  convert  in  India, 

iwte,  172 

Law,  William,  and  Boelimcn,  259 
Lackington,  James,  and  bargain-hunters, 

33 
apprenticeship,  23-25 

benefactions  to  Wesleyan  denomi- 
nation, 44 

birth  and  parentage,  20 

boyhood,  vendor  of  pies,  almanacs, 

<fcc.,  21-23 
business  and  profits  in  1791,  40 

buys  Young's   "Night  Thoughts," 

30,  31 

courage  as  a  boy — the  ghost  story,  22 

death  and  burial,  45 

extensive  purchases,  37 

first  sale  catalogue,  35 

gives  up  shoem:iking  for  bookselling, 

32 

goes  to  London,  1774,  29,  30 

helped  by  tlie  Wesleyan  Fund,  32 

kindness  to  his  relatives,  43 

life  in  Bristol,  26-29 

m.irries  Nancy  Smith,  27,  28 

"  Memoirs  and  Confessions,"  18 

motto  for  tlie  door  of  his  carriage, 

'9 

"  No  credit     system,  35-38 

reads  Pipictetus,  iSic,  26 

retires  from  business,  1798,  41 

second  marriage,  34 

sets  up  a  "  cLariot "  and  "  country- 
house,"  39 

starts  as  bookseller,  31 


374 


INDEX. 


Lackington,  James,  strictures  on  the 
Wesleyans,  i8 

"  Temple  of  the  Muses,"  17,  41 

tour  through  England  and  Scotland, 

42.  43 
Lamb,  Charles,  on  Shoemakers,  99,  293 
Lacroix,     "  Manners    and    Customs    of 

Middle  Ages,"  247 
Lee,  Dr.  Samuel,  205 

Gideon,  Mayor  of  New  York,  364 

"  Leisure  Hour,"  articles  on  shoemakers, 

270 
Leno,  John  B.,  322 

Lestage,  Nicholas,  of  Bordeaux,  253-4 
Let  the  cobbler  stick  to  his  last,  235 
"  Literary  Gazette  "  on  Gifford,  92-93 
Living    examples    of    illustrious    shoe- 

Llandaff,  Earl  of,  and  O'Neill,  318 
Lofft,  Capel,  no,  in,  308,  314 

Mackay,  of  Norwich,  291 

Macon,  Mr.,  on  Eoger  Sherman,  361 

Madan,  Martin,  and  "  Helmsley,"  304 

Marriage,  remarks  on,  158,  159 

Marshman's  "Carey,  Marshman,  and 
Ward,''  151,  157,  171-173 

John    Clarke,    author    of    "Carey, 

Mar.shman,  and  Ward,"  173 

Mr.,  Dr.  Carey's  friend  and  col- 
league, 168,  173 

Meistersingers  of  Germany,  256 

Men's  and  Women's  conscia  recti,  291,  292 

Milbanke,  Miss  (Lady  Byron)  and  Blacket, 
312 

Miller,  Thomas,  and  Thomas  Cooper,  206, 
216 

Montgomery,  James,  and  Thomas  Couper, 
212 

Morrison.  Rev.  Robert,  D.D.,  337-339 

Mutual  Improvement  Society  at  Gains- 
borough and  T.  Cooper,  202 

Murray,  John,  and  Gifford's  editorial 
stipend,  92,  93 

Murray,  John,  his  "drawing-rooms,"  92 
Myngs,  Sir  Christopher,  6,  281,  282 

Narborocoh,  Sir  John,  6-10,  281 
Newton,  Sir  I.saac,  and  Boehmen,  259 
Nichol,  Rev.  James,  313 
Notes  and  Queries,  291-299 

Odger,  George,  350-352 

Olivers,  Thomas,  304 

O'Neill,  John,  temperance  poet,  316-319 

"Oracle,"  The,  352 

Parsons,  William,  of  the  Junto,  364 
Partridge,  Dr.,  283  286 
Peace  Societies,  founded  in  America,  358 
Peel,  Sir  Robert,  and  ."hoemaker.s,  348 
Polwhele,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  S.  Drew,  135-137 
Pope  John  XXn.,  265 
Pope  and  Partridge,  285 
and  Savage,  299 


Portraits  of  naval  officers  at  Greenwich, 
282,  283 

Pounds,  John,  begins  teaching  poor  chil- 
dren, 181,  182 

birth  and  childhood.  179,  180 

gratitude  of  his  old  scholars,  186 

his  death,  187 

his  workroom  described,  180-182 

kindness  to  his  scholars,  185,  186 

memorials  of,  in  Portsmouth,  iS8, 

189 

method  of  teaching.  183,  185 

the  roasted  potato,  183 

Pressgang,  49 

"  Purgatory  of  Suicides,"  214,  220,  221 

Purver,  Anthony,  292,  293 

"Quarterly  Review,"  293,  298,  315 
on  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  166, 

167 
Quarterlies,  the  Edinburgh  and  London, 

79.  80,  91-95 

Ragged  schools,  John  Pounds  a  founder 

of,  177-179 
Raikes,  Robert,  and  Sophia  Cooke  start 

first  Sunday  .school,  69 
Reading,  growth  of,  about  1790  ;  Lack- 

ington's  remarks  on,  38 
Rigby,  Richard,  ballad-writer,  294,  295 
Robinson,  Henry  Crabb,  Diaiy,  260,  336, 

349 
Rousseau,  Jean  Baptiste,  265 
Rowe,  J.  B.,  322 
Russell,  Admiral,  11 

Sachs,  Hans,  the  Nightingale  of  the  Re- 
formation, 255-258 
Sandon,    Lord,    and     Thomas    Cooper, 

220 
Savage,  Richard,  299 
Scott,    Rev.  Thomas,  the  commentator, 

and  Carey,  155,  156 
Service,  David,  313 
Sheaf,  Mr.,  shoemaker  and  artist,  and 

John  Pounds,  177,  187 
ShefFey,  Daniel,  of  Virginia,  363 
Shenstone  and  Woodhouse,  296 
Sherman,  Roger.  359-362 
Shillitoe,  Thomas,  327-332 
Shoemakers  and  literature,  79 
Shoemaker's  holiday,  the,  295  ' 
Shoemakers,  laige  proportion  of  eminent 

men,  231,  232 
Shovel,   Captain,   knighted  by  William 

IIL,  10 
Shovel,  Cloudesley,  made  captain,  10 
Shovel,  Sir  C,  admiral  of  the  Blue  and 

Jied  and  TTTiite,  10,  11 

at  battle  of  "  La  Hogue,"  11 

at  battle  of  Malaga,  12 

at  capture  of  Barcelona,  12 

at  the  siege  of  Waterford,  1 1 

death  by  drowning,  12,  13 

epitaph,  4 


INDEX. 


375 


Shovel,  Sir  C,  exploit  as  cabin  boy,  6-8 

exploit  as  lieutenant,  8-10 

governor  of  Greenwich  Hospital, 

note,  13 

M.  P.  for  Rochester,  note,  13 

portraits  of,  i,  13 

presented  to  Queen  Anne,  12 

William  III.'s  opinion  of,  ii 

Sibly,  Dr.  Kbcnezer,  287,  288 

Sibly,  Manoah,  289,  349 

Smerdon,  Rev.  T.,  prepares  Gifford  for 

Oxford,  88 
Smith,  Sidney,  80,  149,  171 
Sons  of  Shoemakers.  265 
Souters  of  Selkirk,  274,  275 
Southey,  Robert,  298,  333 
Sonthey's  article  in  "  Quarterly  Review  " 

on  Carey,  &c.,  166  note,  171-  73 
Struthers,  John,  314,  315 
Sturgeon.  William,  electrician,  346,  347 
Sunday  school,  the  first,  69,  162 
Sutcliffe,  Rev.  John,  the  friend  of  Carey, 

157,  160,  164 
Swfft  and  Partridge,  286 

Tyerm.\n's  Life  of  We.sley,  303 
Toplady  and  Olivers,  503,  304 
Tinlinn.  Watt,  276,  277 
Timmins,   Rev.    T.,    remarks    on  John 

Pounds,  182-184 
Tichboume,  Sir  Thomas,  Lord  Mayor  of 

London,  295 
Thorp,  John,  333-335 
Thomas,  Mr.,  Carey's  colleague  in  first 

mission  work,  166,  167 

Value  of  books  in  1775,  note,  33 


Warton,  Thomas,  and  John  Bennet, 
297,  298 

Watts,  Dr.  Isaac,  266 

Wesley,  John,  and  Bradbum,  59,  64,  65, 
66,  67,  6q,  76 

and  Olivers,  300-304 

and  Thorp,  334 

Weever's  "  Funeral  Monuments,"  note,  247 

Whately,  Archbishop,  231 

White,  Henry  Kirke,  lines  on  Bloom- 
field,  116 

Whitfield,  George,  and  Olivers.  302 

Whittaker,  Rev.  John,  and  S.  Drew,  135, 

139 

Whittier,  William  Greenleaf,  364-366 

lines    to    "Shoemakers,"    367-369 

Wilberforce,  William,  remarks  orr  Carey, 
161 

Williams,  Dr.  Edward,  334 

Wilson,  Bishop,  friendshipwith  Carey,  173 

Wilson,  Gavin,  313 

Wilson,  Henry,  the  Natick  cobbler,  362- 
364 

Wilson,  Professor,  his  opinion  of  Bloom- 
field's  poetry,  112 

Wincklemann,  J.  J.,  265 

Winnifred,  Saint,  295 

Winks,  Joseph,  Foulkes,  and  Thomas 
Cooper,  202,  216,  226 

Wolfe's  "  Burial  of  Sir  J.  Moore,"  301 

Woodhouse,  James,  296 

Worcester,  Noah,  D.D.,  355-359 

Wordsworth  and  Thomas  Cooper,  222 

Ye  Cocke  of  Westminster,  Richard  Cas- 

tell,  269 
Younger,  John,  319-321 


THE    END. 


PRINTED    BY  BALLANTVNB,    HANSON    AND   CO. 

EDINBURGH    AND    LONDON. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  helow 


JOL  111949 

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